Why postpartum chef support?

There are many facets of healing that are missing from modern-day postpartum care and the role of nutrition is vastly underestimated. The culture of care that is essential for building resilient families used to be built into our societal structures. Today however people are birthing babies far from their families and the people they do have near are equally challenged by the demands of day-to-day life. As a result there is an incredible need and opportunity for more people to provide nutritional support through private cooking services to families during this special time. Having nourishing food at the ready strengthens and heals the postpartum body and eases stress for the entire family.

All new parents deserve to be well nourished. The only way that’s going to happen is if more of us feed them.

I can’t tell you how many times a postpartum client has said to me, “Girl, when you aren’t here we live on granola bars!” I started cooking for new families while working as a doula because I saw how impossible it was for them to cook for themselves during early postpartum period. If there is ever a time in life that one needs to be well nourished, it is when you are recovering from birth and caring for a newborn. There is nothing more comforting to the human spirit than the smells of freshly cooked food filling a home. I believe feeding others is the ultimate act of care and when parents are cared for and supported, they have the strength to care for their babies.

Topics that will be covered.

Sustaining Yourself

• Taking care of you body as a chef (It’s very physical work!)

• Protecting yourself: contracts, insurance, safety and food handling

• Avoiding burnout + isolation through community building

• Collecting Deposits + Payments and organizing your financials and business expenses

• How to cook for yourself when you cook for a living

Throughout the training you will also…

• Be led in restorative movement that is essential for healthy chef life

• Practice recipes and build your own menu to share with clients

• Connect with the community + cultivate connections with others committed to this work

• Receive readings and resource lists to deepen your study and practice

• Have one private mentoring session with Alicia!

FAQs

TESTIMONIALS FROM NOURISH GRADUATES

“Alicia is full of amazing knowledge not only about postpartum cheffing but also about building community — Something I truly admire. NOURISH has been a launch pad that’s helped me follow my dreams of becoming a healer, both a personal chef and as future Chinese medicine practitioner.”

- Jax

“NOURISH was an insightful and invaluable experience. Alicia has crafted a beautiful program that covers all aspects of the preparation, knowledge, and work involved in becoming a Postpartum Chef. She is wise, thoughtful and attentive. I am so grateful to have learned from her and can’t wait to share what I’ve gathered with the families for whom I cook.”

- Emily

“This course has been incredible. It has been a privilege to be alongside so many inspiring, strong, and committed individuals who are invested in a birthing person's postpartum experience and understand the power of nutrition and food in the journey of recovery and healing. I am in awe of the wealth of knowledge and expertise our group had. Thank you for providing us all with this opportunity to learn and share—I’m so excited to continue the dialogue and community with NOURISH." 

- Lucy

“Alicia's training was above and beyond what I was expecting. Every session was loaded with content that helped me feel equipped to start working as a postpartum chef. The care and work that she put into this training came through in every aspect of it!”

- Malisa Dekker

“I joined this class hoping to learn more about the postpartum body and how different foods can balance oneself after the transition of birth. Alicia offered this, and so much more. I left the class with a strong foundational knowledge of how to nourish the postpartum body through food, as well as business strategies, marketing techniques, recipes, and a community of other birth workers and chefs. I am so grateful for this class and the way it's impacted how I think about the nourishment I provide for my own body as well as others. I'm so excited to launch my business based on what I learned in this class. Thank you Alicia!”

- Abby.S

“This class helped me fine tune and sharpen my skills. It also allowed for me to share some of the things I didn't feel comfortable sharing in learning spaces in the past. I never felt judged for asking or not knowing, I felt safe and held. We are all at different parts of our careers and lives and it made for a really collaborative and healthy space to be in. I learned a ton about mind, body and soul with food and simply just showing up authentically. I would encourage anyone who is interested in doing work like this or work that is adjacent to this type of work to take this class (or any class with Alicia) so you can learn from her, others and from yourself. This was one of the most comprehensive and collaborative groups I've ever been fortunate to be part of. I really look forward to more in the future.”

- Kristen Kaessler

“This was such a grounding training and really solidified my love for working with families as a postpartum chef. I feel like my preparedness and skillset sky rocketed thanks to Alicia's expert teaching, and with the support of the NOURISH community. I'm so grateful to have met all the wonderful chefs/women in the group and really needed this course to empower me in my chef and business skills. Thank you Alicia! You are such a wonderful teacher and I am the luckiest to know you!”

- SJ McIntyre

“As a freelance birth doula in NYC, work can get lonely and burn out is real. Alicia's training reminded me that having community here, post March 2020, is possible! She kept us on track and grounded by weaving in bodywork and sharing her knowledge of nervous system regulation. It's more than a postpartum chef course - it's a course that reminds us how to return to ourselves so that we can help others do the same. She reminded us that nourishment comes in many forms, and the delicious healing properties in the beef stew recipe we practiced making is really only one of them.”

- Tina

TESTIMONIALS FROM FAMILIES ABOUT ALICIA’S WORK:

Alicia provides much more than home cooked, nutritious, customized and delicious meals that are appropriate for the prenatal and/or postpartum periods. She brings into the home a warm, quiet and calming energy at a time when families need it most, whether you already have children and are welcoming a new baby or you’re first time parents. She is extremely knowledgeable regarding the best foods and herbs for new mothers as well as other family members. Most importantly, she meets you where you are. In other words, if you want advice and guidance, she generously provides it, but if you just want to chat, sleep or play with your baby, then she lets you be in your space. I wish all families with newborns could have someone like Alicia in their lives. I had a full house at times: in addition to my toddler, baby and husband, my mother and mother in law were often around and everyone loved Alicia!'“

- A.G.

“I don't know what we would have done without Alicia's cooking. The early weeks of caring for our newborn left us with little time to prepare nutritious meals. This is where Alicia was instrumental in feeding us!! She provided lots of delicious options each week, and came once a week to our apartment to prepare everything. Whenever she was over, she also took the time to get to know us and the baby. For parents-to-be that don't have close family near by who can prepare amazing meals for the week,  I strongly recommend hiring Alicia! She also has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to share on postpartum care which moms will find invaluable.” 

- Tom Antonio Davidson

"I wish I could be postpartum again - if only to experience more of Alicia's cooking! In all seriousness, though, hiring her was one of the best decisions I could have made. After my first child (sans Alicia), I was so drained that I could barely take care of my baby let alone myself. Desperate for things to be different with my second child, I hired Alicia, on a friend's recommendation, for two months. Her cooking helped me to feel nourished and healthy and whole. Thanks to her lactation-targeted recipes and teas, I had way less of an issue with my milk supply (which relieved a lot of stress) and truly felt like someone was taking care of me and empowering me to be able to take care of my baby. And, because her food is truly AMAZING, my husband and my toddler looked forward to all of her meals (another stress reliever!). We all still dream about her chicken soup!"

- T.B.