When I lived in California around 2007, I really fell in love with the healthy vibe of nutritious food & an active lifestyle. As I got older I grew to appreciate it more, & I’m happy to say now that I’m fully committed to it in its entirety. Here is a passionate story about Rachel Carr, based in Los Angeles, who shares the same knowledge.

I would like to instill in others a confidence that they can cook amazing and satisfying dishes without meat and dairy! I would also hope that people are excited by how beautiful plant based dishes can be, full of color and exploding with flavor. I don’t have a culinary education, but am instead self-taught. At times, I wish I had that training when I am faced with a technique I’m unfamiliar with, but overall I think coming from a different background than other chefs has given me a fresh perspective and a desire to learn.

I always go with my gut when making decisions about a dish – it’s important to be self-critical and extremely honest with yourself. If something is really good or not? If you kid yourself, then why would your customers trust you and keep coming back?

I find inspiration in many places-from memories of things connected to my childhood, traveling, other cultures and cuisines, and also Mother Nature herself!

Thinking about how we eat as the seasons change is really inspiring. There’s always something to look forward to right around the corner.

My restaurant in Connecticut, Six Main (which closed in 2014) had a five acre farm and our farmer grew mostly for us, and that was a great experience. I never had a chance before to be so close to the growing process. Visiting the farm every week for a preview of what I would be cooking the following week was always very exciting.

I know an experience like that is very rare, but we can all have some sense of that seasonality by visiting farms and farmer’s markets and seeing what’s new and different from week to week. I can always find inspiration there.” – Rachel Carr.