May 8, 2017

Meet Natalie Pukasemvarangkoon of Paleo Collective in West Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Pukasemvarangkoon.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
A lot of Chefs will tell you they grew up watching food network and have been cooking their whole life. I’m the complete opposite; I was the consumer who overpaid for pre-cut fruits and considered cooking a waste of time.

I started cooking for two reasons 1. I was often sick with many health challenges and 2. I wanted to ‘give’ back in my relationship in the form of cooking- I didn’t think anything was more thoughtful than filling up your pantry with your partner’s favorite foods. So I began hosting Paleo pop-up dinners with my friend in our apartment where I lived with four guys, started posting things on social media for fun, started a partnership, and then got hired full-time to private chef for a major CEO in the health industry. I was working over 100 hours a week for 4-5 months. I eventually started my own company, jumped into full on catering, personal chef services, and built a wellness brand around the Paleo lifestyle through social media, blogging, and talks.

Has it been a smooth road?
I tested a meal delivery service, and then decided it wasn’t for me. At the level needed to not lose money, I wouldn’t be able to care for my clients the way I’d like to. And then I tested a potential product and decided I wasn’t going to compromise on integrity by adding preservatives and binders and therefore it was not scalable. But all of these are standard start-up struggles. The biggest struggle was that I started a business during a time when I was mid-way finalizing immigration issues, given that I’m not American; that in itself proposed a whole set of obstacles that any international person could relate to! I mean try starting a business in Los Angeles without the basic convenience or rights, and then let me know how you come out the other end; my guess would be pretty tenacious, optimistic, and creative! So no, the road hasn’t been smooth; it’s been one with potholes, lane obstructions, and many blind spots. All of which, in hindsight, I’m grateful for!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Paleo Collective – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Paleo Collective is an umbrella for the Paleo lifestyle, we provide Paleo-friendly catering, personal chef services, pop-up dinners, and a blog with recipes and health tips. It goes beyond a food service because we’re trying to educate people about a healthy lifestyle through talks, demos, and social media. For instance, twice a week on instastory @paleocollective we show how to do in-home meal preps. For those of you who don’t know what Paleo is, it’s a nutrient-dense diet (‘it’s a lifestyle not a diet’) that eliminates processed foods, dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugars, and a few other food groups. It’s a nutritional approach to help you stay healthy and lean by encouraging fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and lean/ grass-fed proteins. The Paleo diet put simply removes foods that are at odds with your health and instead increases your vitamin and mineral intake.

I use Paleo Collective as a platform for me to help those who want to use food to combat diseases or lose weight, or those who have medical conditions and don’t want to pump their body with drugs- which goes back to the two reasons of why I started cooking right? I most certainly don’t just show up and cook in someone’s kitchen, I have strong relationships with my clients, we text, I educate them, I care for them. Even with catering, you’re teaching a big non-paleo group that healthy foods can be flavorful and just as indulgent. Many people go to events and can’t eat a thing because of gluten allergies, lactose intolerance, digestive sensitivities, whatever it is. So, our catering provides bomb a** food that everyone can eat!

The biggest misconception is that people think the ‘Paleo Diet’ is a temporary extreme diet to lose weight like other ‘diets’ and therefore it’s just another fad. Firstly, I’d be an idiot to start a business based around a fad and include this ‘fad’ in my business name. Secondly, it’s a scientifically backed up lifestyle that prevents/combats diseases, and simply allows you to be healthy. While some people adopt the diet because they simple want to be healthier and lose weight, many people don’t have a choice because of medical conditions. Doctor’s aren’t saying, ‘go paleo,’ they’re saying ‘here’s a list of foods you should avoid’ I look at the list…and see everything in the Paleo guidelines. So all I’m saying is, whatever you want to call it, eating healthy is not a fad, it’s timeless. The Paleo movement along with all the versions of it, such as Auto Immune Protocol (AIP), will continue to grow as the food industry becomes more transparent and people become more educated about it.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that because a lot of people are health conscious, it’s called ‘the land of kale.’ It’s easier to live a healthy lifestyle, eat out, and shop for ingredients- trust me, asking for almond milk in Thailand is like insulting the waiter.

I dislike that the word ‘healthy’ is thrown around so loosely and is branded on so many products that aren’t actually good for you; it targets consumers who may not be as knowledgeable about ingredients. Where’s the honesty people? I think all business owners should read the book ‘People Over Profit’ By Dale Partridge.

I also dislike that there’s this stigma that being gluten-free is pretentious or people who ask for modifications at restaurants are annoying. I’m going to tip you well if you just let me have the salad without the cheese and dressing on the side!

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