Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Brimhall and Vanessa Rud.
Sabrina and Vanessa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
[Sabrina] When I was 15, I was very motivated to be independent, which inspired my first job at Dairy Queen. After a series of fast-food jobs, I enrolled in the community college culinary program. After graduating, the only job available to me was at a fast-food restaurant in a San Diego casino. This was the best option compared to working at a chain restaurant in my home town. Still feeling unfulfilled, I went on craigslist searching for something better. That’s when I saw the ad for Hell’s Kitchen auditions in Los Angeles. I dragged my roommate with me to LA and I was the first in line to audition. I made it through the audition process and was lucky to be a contestant on season 8.
Being on that show exposed me to a level of restaurants and cuisine that I had never experienced before. So when the show was over, I sought out Michelin Star restaurants in LA. I went to each one of them, knocked on their back door (aka the employee entrance) and asked for a job. When I got to Spago, Chef de cuisine Tetsu Yahagi was in a meeting so I waited nearly 2 hours for a chance to talk with him. He agreed to give me a job trial (stage) and after one day, Tetsu offered me a position working lunch a few days a week. And from there, I was fortunate enough to spend the following eight years working with the most talented and relevant chefs in Los Angeles.
At what I thought was the peak of my career, my father became extremely ill and passed away suddenly. It turned my world upside down. I no longer had a passion to work in restaurants. I decided to take a year off and part of what I did was volunteer with a local nonprofit called Lunch On Me. We redistributed organic food that would otherwise go to waste and gave it to residents on skid row. This experience inspired me to look for ways to contribute to the world in a bigger and better way. I realized that there is a bigger battle regarding food that is more important than exotic luxuries and indulgences.
I then dove deep into researching what’s really happening with the food in our country. What does it mean to be conventionally grown? What are GMO’s? What is considered organic? What is the social and economical cause and effects of how our food is produced? Who controls and owns the food that sustains the Standard American Diet (SAD)? Why are so many people so sick?
That’s when I met my friend Vanessa at a baby shower. We began talking and quickly bonded over our shared desired to teach people how to cook healthy and delicious food. I initially hired Vanessa to produce a Youtube Channel for me. But after a few meetings we realized that we basically agreed about everything and we decided to combine our talents and partner together on something even bigger. From there EMILY was born, Eat Me I Love You. While still in its infancy, Emily has already become more than just a YouTube Channel. We recently partnered with the nonprofit organization, Open Source Living, where we’ve received a quarter acre land donation to grow food. For the last six months, we’ve been cultivating and growing our first edible garden. Our ultimate goal with the garden is to give back to the community, hopefully in the way of feeding people directly. Part of how we plan to sustain that is by cultivating a boutique garden and selling unique heirloom produce to the top LA restaurants.
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?
The biggest struggle was not giving up amongst all the struggles. Life threw me so many curveballs, but I just kept playing. I moved to LA not knowing a soul. LA was a tough city to cook in, to live in, to make friends in. So many times I just wanted to give up and go home. LA didn’t kick my ass, LA beat my ass black and blue, inside and out. But I’m better because of it. And despite all that, I’ve met a lot of angels in this city. From the indulgence of high-end restaurants to the reality of skid row, I am so grateful for all the experiences and opportunities this city of angels has given me. I love everything about Los Angeles; the people, the culture, the vibe. It has truly shaped who I am today.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Eat Me I Love You – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Eat Me I Love You is all about empowering your health and healing through basic cooking techniques. We only cook with the most healing foods on the planet and show you how to incorporate them into your daily lifestyle while sharing valuable information about their healing properties. We aim to demystify fresh produce and inspire you to love them as much as they love you. We give simple, manageable recipes. We teach you how to expand on them, while also encouraging you to make it your own.
The best way to heal with food is by knowing the truth and trusting your body. We are teaching people the truth about food and its direct connection to your health. We are also teaching how to cook from an intuitive perspective. Just like any craft, there are methods and formulas for success. Once you know these basic techniques, you will feel empowered to create your own intuitively inspired food combinations perfectly designed to heal your body.
I feel so proud to be doing work that I love. I worked in restaurants for years. I neglected my physical and mental health all for the sake of success. And even tho I consider myself a trained chef, I was never taught the healing properties of food until I met Vanessa. She shared her recipes with me and these became the building blocks of EMILY. She inspired me to think more about the healing aspects of food as well as the its ability to be elevated and exotic. She showed me that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor and the experience of a magnificent meal in order to be healthy and thrive. Now I see the value in nourishing myself so that I can give the best version of myself to the world. My physical and metal health is priority in my life. I can see the ripple effects that my healing and growth is having on the lives around me. The more I settle into this new lifestyle, the more the ideas flow to me. I am creating new recipes everyday and I’m excited to share them with everyone.
To top it off, growing food has been the most satisfying experience of my entire life. It made me realize how much life is within our food. The very life force that keeps our bodies alive. With time and attention, I can plant a seed, water it, watch it grow, then harvest it’s fruit and immediately feel it’s healing benefits upon eating it. The abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables on our planet are screaming EAT ME I LOVE YOU.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We will continue to expand on our YouTube content with our garden transformation project, how to grow your own food, how to meal prep, building a pantry, essential kitchen tools, navigating the farmers market and grocery stores, reading labels, and so much more. We will be hosting exclusive dinners at our boutique garden. And we are working with Open Source Living in creating autonomous communities by helping neighborhoods build edible gardens, grow their own food and ultimately have a self-sustaining community. We are also working on a book series, we’re planning a restaurant and we are constantly inspired with new creative possibilities for Eat Me I Love You. There is no limit with EMILY.
Contact Info:
- Website: EATMEiloveyou.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/EATME.iloveyou
- Facebook: facebook.com/EATMEiloveyou
- Twitter: twitter.com/EATMEiloveyou
Image Credit:
All Photos by Vanessa Rud
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