Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Rodriguez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

This is something I never talk about because it was one of those “Ah ha moments” where a light bulb went off in my head and I realized I had to change the trajectory of my entire career.

I was a full-time private chef to a country music star and sharing gluten/dairy/sugar free recipes on social media to show folks the realm of what’s possible in eating anti-inflammatory.

I had felt like I had finally achieved the height of my career…I had proved myself as a qualified professional chef…and honestly felt like I had nothing to prove, nothing to really fight for anymore. I had at this point, achieved greatness so to speak.

Well, I was a guest on a friend’s podcast about following your passion and turning that into a career. When she mentioned to me that I had inspired her to eat gluten/dairy/sugar free because like me, she has an autoimmune condition and she feels better when she eats anti-inflammatory.

Up until that point, I had no idea sharing my story of overcoming debilitating joint pain as a Rheumatoid Arthritis warrior through diet and lifestyle had inspired anyone.

And it was in that moment that the light bulb in my head went off in my head telling me I actually had an important story to tell and that it was time to start telling it.

That being a private chef to a country star wasn’t the ceiling for me. That I could inspire more people and change more lives just by sharing my truth.

And that wad the deinfining moment in my career when I went from “Personal Chef to the Stars” to “Holistic Chef and Autoimmune Warrior”.

I’ve always had a servants heart because growing up I was a poor kid of a single parent in the inner city and I’ve benefitted from hundreds of people’s generosities, community support and government programs. And I always wanted to start a non-profit to teach inner city kids how to cook so they could grow up with healthy habits I didn’t get to learn until I was in my mid twenties.

That never happened but my desire to serve persisted. In that pivotal moment I realized this could be the way I serve my community. Through anti-inflammatory food education, positive mindset motivation and healing recipe inspiration.

So that’s what I set out to do and that’s how the Flare Free Cooking Academy was born!

Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Laura Rodriguez, holistic chef, autoimmune warrior and backyard farmer.

I learned to cook when I studied abroad in Italy and that’s when I fell in love with food and became obsessed with cooking.

When I finished college I knew I wanted to do something in the food industry but I didn’t want to go to culinary school.

So I started as a dishwasher in a cooking school and worked my way up to manager over the years. I went on to work in a restaurant then started a catering company.

After I had my daughter, we packed up and moved to Tennessee where we bought a small farm and started living sustainably.

I got a job as executive chef for a non-profit that serves healing meals to cancer patients and fell in love with studying the healing properties of food. I started eating the same anti-inflammatory meals we served cancer patients at work and the debilitating joint pain, eczema and migraines I had suffered with for years disappeared!

So I changed the menus for my catering company to reflect my new found lifestyle and started serving some of the most elite clients in Nashville gluten/dairy/sugar/corn/soy free food.

All of that experience landed me a catering gig for a country music star who was looking for a private chef at the time. I auditioned for the position against other chefs they flew in from L.A. and landed the part.

After doing that for 2.5 years, I got into a life threatening car accident that drove me to pursue my passion for inspiring, encouraging and motivating autoimmune warriors to use food as medicine by cooking my recipes consistently by providing them with seasonal monthly meal plans that include shopping and prep lists as well.

In addition to the meal plans, my Flare Free Cooking Academy provides virtual cooking classes and 1:1 coaching and consultations for folks that want a deeper dive into living free of autoimmune flare-ups.

In addition to the FFCA, I also provide Personal Holisic Chef Services where I stock clients fridges with comforting anti-inflammatory meals that wont cause autoimmune flare-ups every week for 12 weeks, private event catering and gardening consultations.

I’m proud of all that I’ve accomplished in less than a year but honestly, I’m most proud of all of my clients and members that continue to show up for themselves day in and day out. No matter how tired, busy or sick they are, they continue to put their healing first and put in the work and dedication required to use food as medicine long enough to see results.

The main thing I want folks to take away is that healing through food is not easy but it is possible. I’m living proof and so are the hundreds of people I’ve helped in the last year. Anyone can do it if they have the right tools, guidance and support along the way and this is what I provide through all of my services. I don’t believe this information should be hidden or reserved for only elite clients so I have a variety of services that can fit any budget with my monthly membership subscription starting at less than $1/day!

You deserve to live a long, healthy, vibrant life free of autoimmune flare-ups and eating Flare Free can get you there.

The journey to living Flare Free starts in the kitchen, so let’s get cooking!!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Sharing my story and showing clients what is possible!

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Being able to share your story in a way that resonates with people and inspires/motivates/encourages them to take healing into their own hands to try and improve the quality of their life.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.cheflaurarodriguez.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cheflaurarodriguez
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cheflaurarodriguez
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCigCS2NvUuUUOtFJw4zoRug
• Other: Www.tiktok.com/cheflaurarodriguez

Image Credits
Jacqueline Brooks Photograpghy