ABOUT THE CHEF

My name is Michele Piironen, Personal Chef, owner of Food To Grow,  wife, and full-time mom to 2 wonderfully active children. I began Food To Grow in 2005 with their health in mind. My main business objective is to bring families back to healthy eating.

I am a Certified Food Handler recognized by the City of Ottawa Public Health Unit, and a member of both the Canadian Personal Chef Association and the USPCA. My training as a personal chef, through the Culinary Business Academy and Algonquin College (Food Theory) has given me the knowledge and the skills necessary to bring healthy, nutritious eating back into the home.

The rest of my training took place in my own home. My youngest daughter has severe learning differences which affect all aspects of her life. In addition, she has also suffered from eczema and yeast infections most of of her young life. I had heard that certain diets could help to reduce some of the symptoms of these ailments, so, I set out on a journey to educate myself about ‘special diets’ purporting to help in these areas. For approximately 2 years, she followed a diet that was free of sugar, yeast, dairy, and gluten. The task of menu planning was not a simple one, but as my knowledge increased, my stress level became more manageable. I became quite adept at preparing menus to satisfy all members of my family.  I am now able to better satisfy my clients as they face their own nutritional challenges.