Gretchen is a wellness chef and recipe developer who takes pride in using real, whole foods to create both delicious and nutritious offerings for her family, friends, and clients. She studied at Natural Gourmet Institute (now the Natural Gourmet Center at ICE) which focuses on plant-based and health-supportive cooking. She has a passion for baking and believes in eating dessert first (but in moderation)!
Gretchen and her wife raise their son in East Harlem, where she recognizes the challenges of sourcing organic products in a food desert. She is dedicated to finding ways to provide affordable, satisfying, and nourishing food to those in need.
From the kitchen of Annisa Restaurant in the West Village, to teaching over 90 elementary children in the kitchen classroom of a summer camp, she has worked in a variety of milieus following culinary school. She then branched into recipe development and styling, creating an assortment of healthy snacks and meals as the Culinary Director for a corporate wellness company. After becoming a mommy, she hand-crafted recipes for Nunbelievable, a cookie company on a mission to give back to those in need. During the pandemic, Gretchen continued to teach hundreds of children and adults alike, through cooking and baking lessons held online.
She continues to give back to the community by volunteering for the Nutrition Committee at her son’s school. She’s getting excited for Bake Sale season :) Additionally, Gretchen cooks for a roster of private weekly clients.