Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Waldeck.
Nancy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Healthy Chef Partyologist Nancy Waldeck is a culinary educator and innovator. Her fun, creative and smart approach to food, wine and entertaining are inspiring to those eager to cook and eat better and confidently enjoy wine.
Nancy discovered early in life that eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard. Growing up in a family who not only traveled the world but ate it too – she discovered her appetite for all things culinary. Ultimately, looking for every opportunity to throw a party just wasn’t enough – Her Aha! moment occurred when she decided her passion for food and wine couldn’t wait. It was scary, but she charted her own path, pursued it with enthusiasm and has enjoyed every step of the way.
Always a healthy eater with a love of exercise, she became even so when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now she takes food even more seriously and has embarked on a journey to understand the science behind healthy eating. She loves teaming up with forward-thinking dieticians and other professionals to share the most current information with her classes.
Well traveled in her pursuit of helping others, she delivers over a hundred classes and events a year. Rancho La Puerta, The John C. Campbell Folk School, Emory University and the US embassy in Burundi, Africa have all welcomed her imaginative twist on food and wine. In addition, she teaches in a variety of corporate settings like Google, Norfolk Southern, Florida Blue, Calphalon and Piedmont Hospitals, plus a number of respected culinary schools. A media veteran, several times a month she enjoys sharing creative tips and techniques about healthy cooking on NBC TV’s Atlanta and Company show.
In her second cookbook, Taste and Savor Life! due out this spring, she shares more of her amazing gift for culinary creations and wine pairings that are easy to prepare with ingenious ingredients and innovative techniques. Using recipes and clever ideas from the book – you too can benefit from her unique version of ‘stealth health’!
Chef Nancy is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier – an international professional society of woman in food and wine, a section chair in the International Association of Culinary Professionals and a member of the Society of Wine Educators. She holds Level III certification from London based Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is an Emory University certified health coach.
Nothing makes her happier than sharing the treasures of explorations with others, so she hosts carefully curated wine and culinary trips around the world for small groups of curious guests. At the intersection of cuisine, wine and travel is where her expertise and passion connect and result in fascinating and informative classes, tours, stories and more. When you join a Healthy Chef Partyologist in the kitchen, on the page or on the road it’s always fun!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Stage 111 Breast Cancer was an obstacle and a blessing. I discovered the Thomas F Chapman Family Cancer Wellness Center at the Piedmont Hospital, and I used the cooking classes I taught there as a way to meet other survivors and share my passion for eating better. I “cooked” my way through chemo, radiation, reconstruction and multiple surgeries. The support the community gave me, along with the opportunity to give back to others kept me going.
It’s always a challenge to help home cooks make healthy food. Healthy to most people means bland, boring and beige. My recipes are bright, colorful, delicious and taste BETTER than the food they have been cooking. AND, cooks and eaters both feel great!
Taste and Savor – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’ve identified myself as a “Healthy Chef Partyologist” years before most chefs embraced the notion that preparing glorious healthy food could be fun. I promise a high deliciousness factor, and my food and recipes deliver. My classes are packed to capacity with those eager to learn about health-promoting mouth-watering yummy cuisine.
In some of her presentations, I pair food with wine, for most students, a challenge! I guide eager participants through tastings that teach them to choose wines to enhance the dishes they prepare. (I have earned a Level 3 Advanced With Merit rating from the prestigious Wine and Spirits Education Trust,)
I back my healthy food philosophy and practice with a certification as a Health Coach from Atlanta’s Emory University. I frequently present classes to Cancer Patients, Heart and Diabetes patients.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Presenting to 1000 people for Cancer Survivor Day at the Atlanta Aquarium.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tasteandsavor.com
- Email: nwaldeck@tasteandsavor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefnancy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TasteandSavor/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TasteandSavor
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
