The Blog My Eclectic Kitchen is a collection of recipes that celebrates plant-based and gluten-free whole foods. Creator of My Eclectic Kitchen, Chef Yvonne Ardestani, develops healthy alternatives to the normally not-so-healthy foods, and converts recipes into vegan and gluten-free recipes using techniques learned in culinary school and in professional restaurants. All of her recipes are vegan, white sugar-, gluten-, soy- and dairy-free, and, best of all, devoid of refined ingredients. Chef Yvonne is a classically trained French chef, former restaurant cook under Chefs Suzanne Goin and Breanne Varela, and now a wellness chef. Yvonne’s family, friends, and subscribers are convinced that eating this way reaps numerous health benefits and that it is absolutely possible to eat deliciously vegan! Yvonne is very passionate about and dedicated to promoting a healthier lifestyle, nutrition, helping the environment, and protecting animals from cruelty while still eating deliciously. The Chef In 2009, Yvonne Ardestani started her blog, My Eclectic Kitchen, when she enrolled in culinary school at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, California. She began chronicling her life in a culinary setting as an intern-turned-cook for world-renowned chef, Suzanne Goin. While working within the fast-paced kitchens of Chef Goin’s restaurants, Lucques and Tavern, Yvonne learned the importance of preparing foods farm-to-table while focusing on locally grown seasonal foods. She had an amazing experience working the line and preparing for service. She was honored to prepare dessert for Barack Obama’s fundraiser dinner at Tavern and was fortunate to cater with Lucques at the SAG awards and Oscar parties for a few years. It was exciting and Yvonne will always savor the memories. Yvonne will be forever grateful for all the knowledge and experience she gained working in professional kitchens. However, concerned about her personal health condition—hypothyroidism—she felt compelled to exercise her culinary skills and creativity to harness a lifestyle that would allow her to maintain a good balance of healthy and delicious tasting foods. Yvonne knew that it was ever-important for her to eliminate butter, cream, sugar, and kosher salt in the foods that she cooked for herself because although she was an avid runner and physically thin, her LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides were high for the very first time in her life. Yvonne attributed her suboptimal blood results on copious amounts of taste-testing at work, staff meals, and feasting on day-old pastries that would have otherwise been tossed. Luckily, a great opportunity presented itself and Yvonne was prepared to leave her training ground to become a private chef for clients who wanted flavorful and satisfying food, but also low in caloric intake and high in nutrition. In collaboration with a client’s fitness expert and self-care coach, Anna Price, Yvonne developed balanced meals to meet specific weight-loss goals, while still being able to satisfy her clients’ sophisticated palettes. In early 2013, Yvonne read Kimberly Snyder‘s The Beauty Detox Solution and it positively changed her life. Since transitioning to a vegan and gluten-free lifestyle in early 2013, she is passionate about vegan cooking that not only looks and tastes good, but also caters to a healthy lifestyle. Yvonne is compelled to share the goodness of recipes that she tests out, enjoys, and develops herself. Yvonne’s inspiration for new recipes comes from her multi-cultural background, her favorite ethnic restaurants and markets, devouring cookbooks, magazines Instagram, blogs, and experimenting with exciting ingredients in her humble city kitchen. Yvonne invites you to come along in her journey as she creates healthy, nutritious, and decadent plant-based food that will ultimately lead to renewed energy, wellness and longevity. The App The My Eclectic Kitchen cookbook app is now available for sale on iTunes! Download it here! In the app, you will receive 120 delicious vegan and gluten-free recipes. Search for recipes by food-type, diet (raw, nut-free, soy-free), ingredients, or by photo. Updates will be made regularly, which means that you will receive recipes as I create them! You can find useful resources and tips, such as how to properly soak nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes; vegan and gluten-free substitutes for common cooking ingredients; most commonly used kitchen equipment; kitchen staples; and suggested articles on family, home, garden, food and drink, mind, and body. You can even watch Yvonne’s cooking videos, index your favorite recipes, and shop for kitchen equipment and ingredients! The app is not only for those with vegan and gluten-free diets, but also for those who are looking to eat healthier without compromising flavor.