May 15, 2017

Meet Aline Fiuza of Aline Healthy Chef in Redondo Beach

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aline Fiuza.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I was a teenager, living in Brazil, I used to suffer from stomach ulcers. After moving to Australia and become a qualified chef, I also went to study Ayurveda Medicine – using food and herbs as medicine. Each person’s diet is modified/personalized to accommodate their specific body, lifestyle and health issues. There is not one single formula that works for everyone. Each person that was admitted the school’s clinic was seen as unique individual and was treated in a way that best helped them to achieve their personal health and wellness goals.

While learning about Ayurveda Medicine through school, I also began treating myself with the same methods. My studies taught me how to modify my diet, alter my mindset, and take the appropriate herbs for my needs. After 10 years of suffering from ulcers, I was able to that I was able to heal myself through these methods. After this very personal experience, it was clear to me that food is nature’s medicine, which inspired me to begin working as a chef at a health retreat. This retreat had a nutritionist who would supervise the kitchen and approve all new recipe’s and ingredients. All of the guests of the health retreat would experience a naturopath/nutritionist consultation, as well as cooking classes, to arm them with the knowledge needed to sustain healthy living. It was our mission to ensure that our guests leave the retreat with a newfound understand of health, and a motivation to change their lifestyle when they return home.

When I moved to Los Angeles, I wanted to continue down this path of providing people with the knowledge to heal themselves through food. An overwhelmed, scared mother reached out to me because she was concerned about her 2-year-old daughter’s auto-immune disorder, which can cause serious health issues. Instead of giving her baby strong drugs and surgery, she decided to try and heal her naturally. This resulted in me becoming this young girl’s private chef where I cooked with strict dietary restrictions, included no gluten, dairy, nightshades vegetables, or sugar. After cooking for this family for an extended period of time, their daughter’s health was in much better condition and their doctor actually told her: “I don’t know what are you doing with her, but it’s improving her condition and may no longer need surgery “. There’s no greater pleasure for me than to see one of my client’s recover from an illness and live a healthier lifestyle as a result.

I currently work as a private chef for a number of clients where I cook for on a recurring weekly bases. One of them has cancer, another with severe food allergies, and another with auto-immune disorder. I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to help them on healthier eating habits, alleviate their daily stresses, and contribute to their recovery. I have continued my education through nutrition course with the goal of being able to help my clients even further than I already have.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being a chef it is not easy, it requires a lot of hard work. And for me I also had to go through my own healing process through food. After it I have more compassion and understanding for my clients.

One of the biggest challenges for me has been to keep myself living a healthy lifestyle. I spend so much time cooking for others, that when it’s time to feed myself, the last thing that I want to do is cook for myself. It can be very tempting to order food or eat at a restaurant, but I push myself to ‘practice what I preach’ by preparing healthy meals in advance, just like I do for my clients.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a qualified chef with an Ayurveda Practitioner Certificate. I am also nearing the end of my education in nutrition school. My job is to provide healthy, healing food to my clients to help them through their health-related issues. Also facilitate their life’s because we all so busy most of us have no time to cook.

I cook at my clients’ houses once or twice per week to prepare a variety of delicious and nutritious food which they refrigerate and eat fir dinner throughout the week. Not only do I cook healthy meals, but I also ensure to surprise and delight my customers with interesting menu items inspired by cultures from all over the world.

Typically, the menu consists of: (a) Four or five main dishes containing animal protein like fish, organic poultry, or grass fed beef (b) A plant-based protein like beans (c) Four vegetables and (d) One grain. The menu is dependent on each client’s needs and preferences.

I am specialized in healthy food. There is not one healthy diet that works for everyone. Each person and family is unique, so it’s my goal to prepare the meal that meets the needs of each person or family.

Once I finish my nutrition course, I plan to specialize in cooking for people with health-related issues for which food can heal or relieve pain, like diabetes and auto immune disorder.

My job is not only to cook for people but also to show that healthy food can be delicious. If I can prove to a client the benefits of a healthy plant-based diet, show that it can be delicious, and inspire them to make a change in their life, then I’ve succeeded.

The thing I am most proud about is my cook book. I put my heart and soul on the book. The name of the book is Look Good Feel Good & Be Good. Everyone start to eat healthier because they want to look good and once you start to eat better you also start to feel good and once you made this change and achieve the look you want and realize that you also feel amazing, that become the new you. In the book, I explain about my process of changing my diet and lifestyle, I explain how the body react to certain food like sugar, also explain about Ayurveda and detox, and at the last part I wrote about the mind, yoga and lifestyle.

What were you like growing up?
I was a nice child but a rebellious teenager.

My mom is the most amazing cook I know. Still to this day, I wish I could cook as well as my mom. I grew up with healthy home-cooked meals every day, so I always had a taste for salads and vegetables. I never really like pizza, pasta, or other types of food that most kids normally enjoy. As a child, I often helped my mom in the kitchen; She would task me with things like peeling vegetables and mashing potatoes.

I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, but both of my parents are originally from different Brazilian cities…So, we would often travel to visit my grandparents in these different cities which allowed me to experience the traditional cuisine that was native to those areas, which I also found fascinating.

When I was 18 years old, I began taking a Sommelier course. I realized that every good wine needs to be paired with good food…But, my family did not have enough money to dine at fancy restaurants, so I used to watch Jamie Oliver’s cooking show and I would practice cooking by preparing his recipes. He still is my favorite chef to this day.

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