Straight Up Food
Cathy Fischer is a culinary instructor at two health centers in Santa Rosa, California: the McDougall Program and TrueNorth Health. I started working at the McDougall Program in 2006 and TrueNorth in 2010. I also give classes at veg-related conferences and for private groups. I started this blog in 2010 to offer my students more of my gluten-, salt-, sugar- and oil-free plant-based recipes. It is now read by people from all corners of the globe who are seeking a more healthful way of eating.
I made a serious commitment in 1999 at age 32 to begin changing how I ate, and have continued to learn and fine-tune my diet in the years since. I have a certification in basic nutrition, and am a self-taught chef, having learned on the job at both of the above centers, and putting in countless hours in my kitchen, honing my cooking skills and reading all I could about cooking and food. I also take every opportunity to attend other vegan chefs’ cooking classes to continue my learning. I absolutely love what I do and am so thankful to be doing it.