In 1996, I began a career providing care for individuals with special needs. This is where I found my love of preparing food for others. I introduced different seasonings, trying to elevate the dishes they had become familiar with. It gave me great pleasure to see how food touched people’s hearts. In the past, these medically fragile adults were served the same dishes from a designated menu. Some began refusing to eat all together. In reality, they just wanted variety, spice, and meals prepared with a little love and care.

Once I discovered their enjoyment in eating the foods I prepared, I invited their family members to join us at mealtimes and holidays. This allowed families to spend more time together with their loved ones, which fed their bodies and souls. The reactions I encountered fueled my desire to turn this sense of fulfillment into my future in cooking . When one thinks of happy memories, they are often associated with great meals – I want to prepare those meals! I want my customers to focus on making positive memories, while I do all the work, just as my Grandmother and Mother frequently did for my family functions.

To increase my skills and keep current with trends, I have studied at Rouxbe, a cooking school. In order to provide the highest quality in food preparation, I became a Serve Safe Certified Food Handler in November 2014. The name STRUT is an homage to my Grandmother who would strut around the kitchen when she had made something she found tasty.