Chef Cynthia Louise is a qualified whole food chef who is leading the whole food revolution and transforming traditional foods into simple healthy recipes.
As spoken to: Jodie Ferrero
I have had several friends tell me that they have a ‘chef crush’ on you! Let’s get to know Chef Cynthia Louise.
Cynthia: I grew up in Papua New Guinea as an adopted white girl in a country that was very primitive. My schooling and education was practically non-existent and during the first twenty one years of my life I climbed coconut trees, went fishing and hunting, and spent a lot of time cooking with the mamas.
I was immersed in this incredible culture with no television or influence of food fad dieting, or women complaining about their bodies, or teenagers with body image issues or anything like that. I moved to Australia as a young adult and had several businesses over the years. I got into fashion and I owned a secondhand shop for a while. Then, as time went on, I spent more and more time cooking for my friends and discovered just how much they loved what I was creating in the kitchen.
What a wonderful wholesome childhood and what an influence the mamas had in your life for you to remain so deeply connected to cooking.
Cynthia: I had a natural ability and a connection to the foods and the recipes. I loved watching cooking shows and getting ideas from Jamie Oliver and some of the really great chefs from all over the world. I enjoyed recreating dishes and then creating my own. I really enjoy making recipes from scratch, it feels really easy for me. I then went into business in a food court of seven outlets with a variety of foods from different cultures like Sushi and Chinese dishes.
Following this I opened the most amazing fish and chip shop in Hobart. I created it from the ground up in the beautiful location of Blackman’s Bay in Hobart, right on the beach. With the weather being so cold during the winter months, it was a struggle to stay on top financially and I eventually had to close my doors. I was devastated, I had no money and I was traumatised. I was 34 years old, with a son and I found myself standing naked in front of the mirror wondering what it was that I was going to do with the rest of my life.
It seems we all experience defining moments in our lives and they often come in the midst of our biggest challenges.
Cynthia: My friends had always told me that I was an amazing cook and encouraged me to do something with it. With no formal education I found myself to be quite nervous and scared but at the same time I was determined and decided to do a chef’s apprenticeship at 34 years of age.
I was terrified, my ego was on the line but I knew that if I wanted to be taken seriously I needed some sort of certification, something that would give me some credentials and give me the opportunities I wanted. I struggled so much to find a business to back me and give me the chance to follow my dream. I approached fine dining venues, pubs, clubs, cafes, hotels, restaurants, anything I could find but I found myself walking out time and time again, either due to lack of vacant positions or because I discovered that the food in the establishment was coming straight from a can or a bottle, all processed and I just could not contemplate it.
I’m sure that process was filled with shock and disappointment for you.
Cynthia: The contrast between my foundation years living in undeveloped, quite primitive surroundings and now, attending interviews in amazing refined hotels and venues was never more apparent to me. I would meet the chefs, see the kitchens and to my surprise would discover that much of the food was not real food. I didn’t really know what that meant at the time as I wasn’t in the wellness industry. I just knew how vastly different it was to the foods that nourished me as a child.
One day I came across a health retreat. I just knew this was where I needed to be. I approached them and after pursuing them with persistence for more than three months and pleading with them to give me a go, I was taken on as a first year apprentice chef at the pay rate of $5.50 per hour and relegated to the kitchen.
…and so you began… to create the life of your dreams!
Cynthia: My mission was to share my love of cooking, my skills, my knowledge and my recipes with the public. Whether that meant the mama down the road on a low income or the high falutin health conscious corporate. I’m essentially about understanding and encompassing the human being. I became really good at what I did. I collaborated with friends in their restaurant, Three Worlds on the Gold Coast. Within a matter of months, Three Worlds was thriving, going from 45 seats to 150 seats with people lining up at the door. It was unique with no caffeine, no white sugar, no dairy, no animal protein, no alcohol – it was everything that other restaurants weren’t. I’d open three hours a day in the evening and I attracted the sick, the fat sick and the nearly dead! It was the perfect place for those that wanted to eat something really nourishing.
I had a growing reputation and before long, Life Changing Documentaries picked me up and I became an expert on their panel which put me in front of a huge audience. The flow on effect from this exposure was amazing with people visiting my restaurant to try my recipes. I realised then that I had new opportunities awaiting me.
…and the rest, as they say is history, right!
Cynthia: I had worked closely with Dr. Libby Weaver during my time at the health retreat and we grew closer over the years as we both went on to study and gain qualifications, a Ph.D in Autism and Biochemistry for her and mine as a Chef. The timing was perfect for us to join forces and create something amazing. Together, we wrote 3 best selling international cookbooks. Impressed by the film Food Matters, I closely followed FMTV and the fantastic documentaries and content they release with aspirations of one day presenting to their global audience. My hopes were realised when they noticed me and offered me a contract for a major series on their platform.
I then moved to Bali to create my studio to film my cooking classes. I realised that the best way for me to share my content and be able to bring myself into the kitchens of people around the globe was through my online platform. My cooking classes are exactly that, not simply sitting down watching, but rather participating as I guide you step by step in how to prepare, how to decorate and how to put it together just like you would in a face to face cooking class. The entire cooking process in your own familiar environment! I’ve created a raw food detox cooking class to support people receiving cancer treatments, a gluten free cooking class, a vegan cooking class and many more, all based on whole foods principals.
I love that you make cooking with whole foods so simple and accessible.
Cynthia: Being a cafe consultant is another aspect of what I do and love. I help people who have a dream of creating a whole foods cafe and don’t know where to start. I bring my expertise and partner with them to develop their business and become successful cafe owners with profitable businesses. The majority of these have high plant based menus, with a few including some animal protein.
Your journey so far has been incredible, and your passion, your persistence and your commitment have helped you reach your goals, with much more success to come, I’m sure.
Cynthia: My big vision and my goal is to have my own TV show on Food Network. This is something I really, truly aspire to have. I feel like my food and my attitude is very vibrant and I want people to feel comfortable in the kitchen, without pressure to use super foods and faraway ingredients with expensive costs, but rather just be able to cook with the humble potato and some vegetables.
