We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rafi Levy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rafi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
My parents came to this country with nothing and built a life through hard work, resilience, and faith in possibility. They taught me to show up even when things are uncertain, to keep going when it gets hard, and to surround myself with people who challenge me to grow.
When I told my parents I was moving to Portland to start my own business, they both reacted in ways that reflected their own experiences. My mom encouraged me to find something stable with security and health insurance, wanting me to have a sense of safety as I started out. My dad said the opposite. He told me I would thrive doing things my way, that no business structure would ever let me express all my talents and curiosity, and that I should find my niche and go for it.
At the time, my parents were in the middle of a divorce and each managing their own struggles, so I was truly on my own. There was no mentor or safety net, just the lessons they had taught me from a young age. It took time for those lessons to settle in, but they became the foundation of how I built my business. Six years later, I can see how their resilience, values, and belief in effort over ease shaped the person I am today.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a personal chef and entrepreneur with a deep interest in making nutrition education and resources more accessible. My background is in Clinical Nutrition from the University of California, Davis, and I began my career as a private chef for a celebrity family in Los Angeles. Over the years I have worked with everyone from families managing severe dietary restrictions to executives and founders of Fortune 500 companies, as well as professional athletes looking to rebuild their health and relationship with food.
My approach has always been about connection, bringing together the science of nutrition with the art of cooking. I like to meet people exactly where they are in their health journey. Some are just starting out, some are trying to stay consistent, and others are working to rebuild a better relationship with food. I see my role as part chef and part guide, helping them stay accountable and supported along the way. For me, food should never feel restrictive or intimidating. It should feel like something that brings ease, confidence, and enjoyment back into their daily life.
The project I am most proud of right now is <b>Curated Kitchen Collective</b>, a platform my partner and I created alongside a small group of personal chefs. Together, we have spent years testing and vetting thousands of trusted recipes from some of our favorite food bloggers and chefs. Each week, we curate recipes into balanced dinner menus with chef notes, shopping lists, and practical tips on how to adjust everyday meals to fit different dietary needs. It is our way of making private chef–style recipes accessible to more homes, keeping it affordable and approachable while inspiring people to cook and experiment more at home.
What sets my work apart is the balance of rigor and warmth. I care about the science, but I also care about the feeling behind food, the comfort, the joy, and the memories it creates. My goal has always been to make healthy food feel exciting and approachable, and to help people reconnect with the power of food as a form of care, not restriction. Working as a personal chef was the start of that mission, and now through Curated Kitchen Collective, it’s becoming something much larger than me.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
In the beginning, I didn’t have a big marketing plan or a team helping me grow. It was just me, trying to figure out how to connect with the right people and share what I do in a way that felt authentic. I knew I wanted to work with clients who valued health, trusted expertise, and appreciated good food, so I focused on finding where those worlds overlapped.
I started by asking myself what kind of clients I wanted to work with and what niche I wanted to fill. From there, I decided to host a small dinner for local dietitians where I shared my story over a meal I had prepared. I was excited but also nervous, because asking industry professionals to open their book of business was not an easy pitch. But once they learned more about my background and got a taste of what I had to offer, it opened the door to new opportunities.
That night led to my first wave of clients and helped me build lasting relationships within the wellness community. Over time, those relationships grew into referrals, and word of mouth became the strongest driver of my business.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A big lesson I had to unlearn was the idea that saying yes to everyone is the key to success. When I first started my business, I believed that taking every opportunity and pleasing every client was how you built a reputation. I thought hard work alone would guarantee good outcomes and open the door to new clients. Overtime I learned that being clear about your values and boundaries is just as important as delivering great food.
I once had a client who taught me this in a very real way. The family was financially successful, and I convinced myself it would be an exciting creative opportunity. Instead, it became draining. The energy in that home was tense, and their demands left me feeling depleted long after I finished cooking. I kept saying yes because I thought that was what great service meant.
After months of trying to make it work, I realized the relationship was costing me more than it was giving. Walking away felt risky, but it was necessary. That moment taught me to be clear about my values and to only work with people whose energy and mindset align with mine. Once I let go of that old belief and started saying no with confidence, the right clients began to find me, and the business started to grow in a way that felt healthy and sustainable.
Contact Info:
- Website: CuratedKitchenCollective.com
- Instagram: Curatedkitchencollective
- Other: Personal chef website: Rafilevy.com
