This whole blogging adventure has opened up a new world to me and in turn has introduced me to some pretty incredible people. One of those people is Chef Natalie, a personal chef here in Atlanta. We met a few months ago at a blogging workshop (don’t judge) and I knew immediately that Natalie could teach me – a lot. Sitting down with her yesterday, she taught me in a matter of minutes how to roast a pepper and garlic. (Disclaimer: I’m a moron in the kitchen.)
Aside from being incredibly sweet and down to earth, Chef Natalie has quite a passion for food. And not just any food, well thought out meals and locally grown food. She supports several local CSA programs including Taylorganic Farm, Serenbe, and Riverview Farm. (If you live in Atlanta, you can find several of these guys around town at local farmer’s markets.)
My favorite story Natalie tells is that while she was studying Art History in Paris, she began leading tours of her fellow students to Le Cordon Bleu. Guess you could say she was destined to be a chef. She ended up attending the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Atlanta. And now, she runs her own company, Food Optimist.
Much like my friend Chris, the pastry chef, Natalie is doing exactly what she loves. And not only is she preparing really wonderful food, she’s teaching people like me how to eat well in the process.
Thanks Chef Natalie!
you are what you eat...or reheat 
You’re not going to share the arcane knowledge of how to roast a pepper and garlic? Wanna know! 🙂
I made a ricotta frittata yesterday for our Sunday morning meal. Mainly because it was fun to say. Delicious, although it didn’t look so hot. I’m in dire need of a high quality omelet pan.
tom- a ricotta frittata not only sounds tasty, it just sounds cool. i might have to make it just so i can say i made a “ricotta frittata”. maybe later i’ll do that “how to” post. maybe that will be my niche. cooking for dummies. then again, i’ll have to learn how to do things first. 🙂
I doubt you’re a moron in the kitchen! Maybe you don’t know some things that some consider basic but you probably know things that some do not. So there!
I’m jealous that you got to learn some things from Natalie! The fact that she is knowledgable AND down to earth is a huge plus.
dionne, i love you! thanks for making me not feel so silly. 🙂
and yes, natalie was a tremendous help. in a few minutes, she explained things on such a simplistic level that even i could understand. maybe i can get her to teach a class…
And here I thought I had a good thing going when I was cooking with Mel – this is awesome!
Chef Natalie ROCKS…..
she does, doesn’t she? 🙂