Randy has always loved to cook: her favorite toy as a child was her Easy Bake Oven. Having grown up in New York City, Randy has been eating delicious, high-quality food all of her life. She was also fortunate to experience  great ethnic food prepared by her friends’ families and in local restaurants, which led to her  use of diverse produce and flavors in her own cooking. Though she was always conscious of the calories and  taste in her meals, it wasn’t until she had her own health crisis that she learned of the effects food has on other aspects of our lives, such as our well-being and feelings. After being advised to eliminate wheat from her diet, Randy experienced a tough detox, but eventually felt more healthy and clear and for the first time realized the connection between what we put into our bodies and how we feel.

 

Her experience following her detox led Randy close her law practice and enroll in the Chef Training Program at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health. While there she learned about health supportive cooking using wholesome foods. In addition, she studied nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. After getting her family settled in a new town and helping her partner establish her real estate business, Randy finally had her “ah-ha” moment where she realized that she should be putting her training and passion to use by working with food and teaching others to make their own healthy meals.

 

This moment came when Randy was home one day, hungry, and craving greens. She found kale and went to see what else she had in her pantry and refrigerator. The result was a delicious quesadilla with sautéed onions, kale, melted tomatoes and refried beans in an organic corn tortilla, topped with avocado. As she was eating her healthy and delicious meal, she realized that when most people make a quesadilla it’s with an over-processed white flour tortilla that often contains chemical preservatives and filled with   lower quality cheese. Realizing that even conventional eaters would enjoy this healthy quesadilla, Randy knew that she needed to share her education and passion with the world by teaching those around her to eat better – and tastier because she understood how eating this way could impact people’s health and the quality of their lives.

 

Randy is a firm believer that foods shouldn’t be thought of as “good” or “bad.” Instead, we should learn to understand what our bodies need and make a connection between what we eat and how we feel. Also, Randy is unique because she is both a “foodie” and a health supportive chef. Unlike most others who believe the two are mutually exclusive, Randy believes delicious foods and health supportive eating can go hand in hand and that you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. To that end, Randy encourages her clients and others to stop obsessing over calories, carbs and fats, and instead look at the way a food was produced. “Eating meat from a cow that was fed growth hormones and antibiotics, or veggies that have been coated in preservatives, is far worse for your health and body than carbs or fat from an unprocessed, organic, whole food,” says Randy, stating one of the core beliefs she built her business on.

 

Summing up why she does what she does, Randy says, “People deserve to make informed choices about what they are eating and feeding their families. Doing this requires some knowledge and skill. I love being with food, I love cooking, I love being around people who love food, I love sharing food with people, I love broadening client’s food experience, and I love helping clients change the way they eat and seeing them happy to eat healthy food and watching them experience the realization that the healthy food we’ve prepared tastes much better than what they were eating before, and I love eating.”

 

Randy has shared her expertise with those in the New York metropolitan area through media such as WOHS TV, Milburn Short Hills Magazine, The Survivors Club and MaplewoodPatch.

 

Randy lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with her spouse Fran and son Zan. She enjoys spending her free time with friends and family and traveling and all things food related.

Since I have been talking with Randy, that has all changed.  She has helped me find foods that I really like - that taste great and are really healthy.  She has also empowered me to experiment with my cooking because I now understand how to combine flavors and textures I enjoy to create simple, nourishing and delicious meals for me and my family.  Now, cooking is a lot more fun and I always look forward to eating my healthy creations."

 

Melanie Yost, LCSW
http://www.awakenyourentrepreur.com/

 

 

"My daughter has attended two sessions with Randy Rabney and she always comes home sharing what she has learned that day as well as enjoying what she has eaten. I believe Randy has inspired in her a new interest in healthier food choices and a renewed interest in helping out in the kitchen either cooking or deciding on what we eat as a family.

 

Randy is genuinely committed to educating the girls about food choices but at the same time making it about what pleases the girls so that everyone comes away feeling part of the process. Thanks, Randy!"

 

Barbara Austin
Short Hills, New Jersey

 

 "Before my classes with Randy, I felt inadequate in the kitchen, especially with a family full of cooks. After only a one-day intensive with Randy, I hosted a dinner for 8, and I was complimented by the dinner I prepared. When I cook with Randy, I not only learn how to prepare delicious, healthy meals, but I have also become more savvy about understanding where my food comes from and how to be a more conscious consumer. And although Randy takes a holistic approach to cooking, she respects her clients' needs, desires and budgets.

 

Working with Randy is relaxing and fun, and extremely productive! After a one-day intensive, I learned how to shop, cook four different recipes, including desserts and drinks, and how to use what I already own in the kitchen."

 

Angie Forero
Maplewood,NJ

 

 

 

“After our first call, I have lost 3 pounds just by following your suggestions and am SOOOOO much more enjoying my food...Brian is also loving how much I am cooking now...and it is fun! Really, you are a life-changer, Randy!!"

 

Paige Stapleton
Freeport, Maine

 

 

 

"Before the program, I was resenting how long it took to prep, cook, clean up; and I was also getting bored of our options. My spouse is gluten free, sugar free and mostly dairy free – but I am the primary meal planner – so I was feeling very stressed and not enjoying my role as planner.

 

I really enjoyed the classes, learning a few new recipes, getting to ask Randy and the other participants questions and cooking tips while Randy cooked, and having a few new recipes added to my repertoire. It reminded me that this should be fun and not a chore.

 

As a result of the program I am trying to be more playful with cooking and just approach it more playfully."

 

Wendy
Maplewood, NJ