Today we’d like to introduce you to Chay Wike

Hi Chay, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

About 17 years ago, after the birth of my second child, I started to develop mysterious symptoms. I suffered from extreme fatigue, depression, sore joints, skin and hair issues, and gut issues. After several unsuccessful and unpleasant doctor visits, I decided to go off the beaten path and search for alternative healthcare providers who were more interested in a root-cause approach to health. I wanted to understand WHY I was sick and learn more about my body. Eventually, I discovered that I had multiple autoimmune diseases and Lyme disease. I learned that many of my struggles could be healed by changing my diet and lifestyle and using natural medicines. Since then I have adopted a food-as-medicine approach to healing and had the privilege of working with functional medicine doctors who have helped me recover. It has been a long and winding road full of trial and error, triumphs and setbacks, but overall I feel much better and have experienced the power of nutrition and self-healing. I consider this way of eating and living, a life-long devotional practice. And I am up for it! What a blessing to have a powerful healthy body! I’m also a passionate home cook and host and over the years needed to learn how to take care of my needs alongside family and friends with different needs. On this journey, I tried many different diets and learned a tremendous amount about alternative ingredients and made it my mission to help others streamline their shared meals to make life easier, healthier, and still familiar and delicious for everyone at the table. In January 2024 I published my first cookbook which is a reflection of my journey and hopefully a needed resource for anyone looking to self-heal or accommodate the dietary needs of their loved ones.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Haha no! Not at all. I still have to work hard to maintain my health and I do have the occasional flare-up from time to time. Over the years, I’ve learned to simply keep going. Every 24 hours is a new cycle. Everything passes, like the weather, Storm clouds roll in, and then they dissipate and eventually the sun comes out again. For me, the struggles along the way have been mostly health-related. I’ve had to go to the hospital several times and have experienced a tremendous amount of fear. I’ve struggled with impatience and hopelessness that arise from these moments. I’m not a religious person but I do have a deep and personal spiritual practice that’s been crucial for my mental health. I have also struggled with my career path. I am very creative and sometimes become unsure about what to focus on. I get lots of ideas so I try to stay grounded by what brings me the most joy.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I’m a mother, wife, author, home cook, host, recipe developer, and self-healer! I share allergen-friendly recipes and inspiration to help people feed themselves and their loved ones. I specialize in my own self-healing journey and in turn hope to support others with theirs. I also love to throw a killer dinner party that’s full of familiar, beautiful, delicious food. I am most proud of my marriage and motherhood but if you’re asking about work then I might say I’m most proud of how far my health has come. I’ve worked hard to heal and feel better- and I do. What sets me apart from others is that I’m looking to bridge the gaps between our plates. I think it is a great metaphor for the current state of the world. We need to learn how to make space for each other and what better place is there to do that than at the dining table? It is much easier to make lasting and sustainable changes to our health when we are connected to our loved ones. I make sure that while my recipes are designed to accommodate the allergen-friendly community they are designed to be delicious for ALL eaters.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?

I would say that in general, with all of my past and present professional pursuits, I tend to jump first and figure out the details later! I’m not sure that that’s smart but that’s my style :) It goes like this: I get an idea that I can visualize and then my intuition guides me towards it. The right people usually show up, there seems to be lots of serendipity, and then things take on momentum. I’ve also made plenty of mistakes, but mostly I’m guided by my gut. I think reasonable risk-taking is necessary. We are never going to know all of the answers before we start something new but problem solving is a creative process and can be quite exciting and energizing. It builds confidence too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thekitchencommune.com
• Instagram: @thekitchencommune
• Facebook: @thektichencommune
• Youtube: @thekitchencommune

Image Credits

Chay Wike