Welcome,

Greetings, to you and yours from True Color Cooking, LLC.

Being in the kitchen for me is like falling in love for the first time. I enter the kitchen with passion and abandon. As a professional personal Chef for Hire, I find that combining meals from scratch is stimulating, yielding all kinds of ideas from the motion and commotion of a kitchen stirring.

True Color Cooking is all about celebrating life, the journey we share and the part food plays in the mix. My earliest childhood memories are in the kitchen. Those basic skills from Mom have served me well over the years. Like many of you, I have finally decided to make my passion my life’s work.

Your menu and Food Art scapes are created from local, organic sources can easily be adapted to meet food allergies and sensitivities to Gluten, Corn, Wheat, Peanuts, Soy, Eggs, and Dairy. Accommodation is made, when requested, to meet medical recommendations for Arthritis, Autism Spectrum, Diabetes, Cancer, ADHD and Celiac conditions.

I follow the age old rituals of hot foods hot and cold foods cold, serving everyone from a common table and continuing the global tradition of the International Slow Food Movement, promoting the use of local, seasonal, sustainable and ethically produced comestibles.

 

Cooking was probably my first love. Long before the Easy Bake Oven I was in the kitchen with Mom, tasting the cake batter at that tiny perfect spiral the beater made every time. Later, in graduate school I made biscuits every week, served banquet halls, and ran the dishwasher.  As a Chaplain I taught students how to cook, making soup at the weekly Bible study following in the footsteps of the Frugal Gourmet. Everybody left with a full belly and a meal for later in the week. 

As a medical Clinical Social Worker in hospital, home health and hospice setting, I quickly learned the critical roll nutrition played in achieving, maintaining and sustaining mental health. My creative optimistic nature, my artistic training, my professional skills, the support of friends, a few well chosen alternative medical services, Tai Chi and the diverse eating opportunities in Atlanta, GA  and later Asheville, NC put me on the road to a rich journey of fun, healthy eating. I can often be heard encouraging my clients to do the same. Who knew Kinnikinnick Foods – Gluten free chocolate chip cookies made with pea flour and Almond Butter had more nutrition than a sandwich and looked like a decadent treat!

These days, my Chef for Hire gigs are usually for dancers and the extended dancing community, family, friends. I cook from scratch and usually without recipes unless I’m baking … do the dishes, take out the trash and back to my day job as a licensed clinical social worker. New to True Color Cooking’s crew, is Skyler, my Service Dog.  As a working dog, he will joining me in the kitchen. He has his station – a crate with bed, toys, treats, food and water –  set in visual range of where I work or will be working. Like any kitchen crew member, he is clean and well groomed, current on all vaccinations and tethered at all times to his station.This is more for his safety. At 18 lbs and less than a foot tall he is not jumping up on anything or going in a walk-in refrigerator.  At break time, Skyler and I  observe the same Serve Safe standards of practice for going to the bathroom or eating a meal … gloves and apron off, exit the kitchen, take care of business, wash up, return Skyler to his station in the kitchen, I wash up again, apron and glove up. Like any seasoned Chef, a second change of cloths is always at the ready just in case one of us has an accident.

And yes, my Chef Liability Insurance CNA for Small Business and The American Culinary Federation (of which I am a member in good standing) both know that I have Skyler, my Service Dog in the kitchen. Our Service Dog trainer Kim Brophey CDBC, BA author of Meet Your Dog, owner of http://dogdoorcanineservices.com and CNA worked with me to craft a work station protocol for Skyler. This strict protocol is a win-win.  Skyler is present because I am disabled.  Skyler trained specifically to work with me.  I offer public appreciation to CNA for this reasoned accommodation which allows me to have the support I need while working as a Chef for Hire, as well as continue to maintain ServeSafe standards of excellence.

Now on to the good stuff … cooking in the company of friends makes work time play time … I am honored that you have visited my site … When do we eat?

Chef Harriette
truecolorcooking@gmail
Cell/Text 828-712-8278

 Member of American Culinary Federation
Member # 192779 Chapter NC021

ServeSafe Certified #15255191   Expires 6/12/22
Liability Insurance – CNA Small Business Center   #3012157985