An Eye for Cooking
The past few months have been a challenging journey for many, as we transitioned to a life where we constantly considered the pandemic and our health or the health of our families. It still amazes me how despite being in the middle of a pandemic we are able to rise from challenges and find small pockets of hope. This is what happened to Chef Andria and how she got to her current position as Executive Chef at Cottage Hospital. Like many families during COVID 19, Chef Andria unexpectedly was out of work but the opportunity presented itself for her current position at Cottage Hospital so she moved her whole family from Los Angeles to the Santa Barbara area.
Prior to the pandemic, she was the executive chef at the California Health and Longevity Institute at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. There she worked closely with dietitians like Paulette Lambert and Erika Wong Mobine (a Cal Poly SLO grad). Chef Andria described working with dietitians at the Institute as a unique and valuable collaboration. She provided her thoughts on things like how to cut sugar or fats and mainly focused on plant-based meals at the Institute.
Andria’s journey as a chef did not start from what people may think of as a straightforward path. She was a retinal angiographer for 26 years. She describes this career as fascinating: she was able to assist in diagnoses for diabetes and strokes. Although angiography is a career she would not mind returning to, one day, she has found kinship through cooking. She loves the creative outlet of the kitchen and enjoys working alongside people that never get tired of talking about food. This is very true of Chef Andria. There is never a moment where she is not around food or talking about food during her workday. When I brainstormed ideas with her for a Halloween menu her eyes just lit up with enthusiasm and anytime she was planning food items for the cafeteria I would often hear her exclaim, “Ooo, yes this looks so good!” And because Chef Andria is amazing and somehow has time to continue her creative interests outside of her work she runs a business called Whey To-Go which consists of sales of custom-made cheese and charcuterie boards. Yes, at this point I know we are all saying way to go Chef Andria!
This was Chef Andria’s first time as a preceptor and I immediately knew she had a passion for teaching as well as cooking. After all, Chef Andria also has a teaching background from teaching students at culinary school. She enjoys teaching and enjoys sharing her expertise with others. Her teaching style is to be patient and kind. She believes that “people will take more from a positive experience," and I tend to agree with her. My rotation with Chef Andria was a positive one with experiences that I will remember for a long time to come. She was so patient when teaching me inventory and ordering food from their supplier. She was encouraging when I presented my menu ideas to the hospitality managers'
meeting. I expressed to her how as a woman it is inspiring to see her leading a team with such care and respect. It is particularly noteworthy to see a woman who is an Executive Chef managing a room full of men in a profession that is still predominantly male. I am grateful to women like her that are leading and inspiring others.
As for her advice to future dietitians: Stay in the know of food trends, be flexible, and consistently continue to research what is new out there.
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