How Chef Lisa Roberts Is Helping To Promote Healthy Eating

Lisa Roberts, MPhil, MA, is a guest instructor of culinary nutrition at Stanford University’s BeWell and Healthy Living Programs. Lisa is a graduate of Oxford University, Tufts University, and The French Culinary Institute. She is a 5-star chef with Yelp’s Vegan Voyage, and her work has appeared in Huffington Post, Brad Lamm’s JUST 10 LBs, which helped over 1 million viewers of The Dr. Oz Show lose over 500,000 lbs, and Erika Lenkert’s Healthy Eating During Pregnancy, among many others.

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Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restauranteur or chef?

I have always loved the food and wine experience. Yes, even the wine part as a young child! I began drinking red grape juice from a wine glass after my first sip of wine at age 4. Fast forward to graduate school at Oxford University (England) where I earned my Masters degree in Classical Archaeology with a specialization in ancient food and wine production. It was at this time I also became a sommelier and fromager, and began working at Artisanal and Picholine in New York City, and Nantucket’s Fahey & Fromagerie and The Nantucket Golf Club.

At one point my health took a turn and I developed a number of autoimmune conditions that were seriously impacting my quality of life, including celiac disease, bronchial asthma, and fibromyalgia. In addition, I was dealing with anxiety and depression.

I took a hiatus, and relocated to Santa Fe, where I rolled up my sleeves in the kitchen and began to apply all that I had learned in my studies of ancient culinary practices: food is not only medicine, it is also part of a spiritual practice and way of life. I fell in love with not only the flavors, but the experience of sourcing my food intentionally, and the healing properties. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a guide for others who were seeking a similar experience.

I also wanted to take it one step further and learn how to cook at an elevated level for others, like me, who either needed or wanted to eliminate dairy, gluten, and other inflammatory foods from their diet, but also wanted phenomenal tasting cuisine. That’s when I enrolled at The French Culinary Institute and started working at Pure Food & Wine and Epicurious, volunteering at The James Beard House, and becoming a food & wellness writer doing recipe makeovers with Clean Plates, The Huffington Post, Brad Lamm’s Just 10 Lbs, and Erica Lemkert’s Healthy Eating During Pregnancy.

Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?

I specialize in gluten-free as I have Celiac Disease, and also really love the creativity of plant-based cooking and eating.

I was first introduced to the mind-blowing flavors of plant-based eating 16 years ago in Santa Fe where I had a triple stack of Raw Lasagna for the first time. When I moved back to New York, I worked with an Ayurvedic practitioner from The Chopra Center and she put me on a vegan diet, which worked really well for me while I continued to heal from the damages of celiac disease, fibromyalgia, and bronchial asthma. Shortly after that, I met Denise Mari, the Founder of Organic Avenue and she made the benefits and joys of raw food really come alive for me. It was at that time that I also started working as a chef at Pure Food & Wine while I was in culinary school. I was smitten with how versatile, creative, and flavorful plants were as the focal piece in beautiful food. And they are so good for you, too!

I mentioned that my health had really suffered, but when I shifted to a gluten-free, plant-focused, dairy-free, low sugar diet that was free of inflammatory oils, my health transformed. Not to say that I don’t indulge! We all need to be a little naughty to enjoy life, right? I live by a 90:10 or 80:20 philosophy so that I can enjoy my splurges and not suffer the consequences. For me, though, gluten-free is always non-negotiable.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that has happened to you since you started? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?

Recently, I was a Finalist in Tom Colicchio and Spike Mendelsohn’s TOP CHFTY Pizza Competition in the Metaverse (Web 3). My submission was a homemade gluten-free pizza crust with Lisa’s 1973 Thai Basil as the pesto, layered with sliced red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, Kite Hill’s almond milk ricotta, a drizzle of raw honey, a sprinkling of Burlap & Barrel’s Black Urfa Chili and Silk Chili, and topped with microgreens and violets. It was summer on a pizza, and Tom, Spike & Kimbal Musk loved the innovative use of ingredients and flavors. Ultimately, the prize went to the “Grandma”, a traditional Sicilian pizza made by a 3rd generation pizzeria master. I was proud to be the only woman on stage and to see my gluten-free, plant-based pizza get serious kudos from some of my favorite Top Chefs.

None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?

I am so grateful and appreciative of the incredible mentors I have had along this journey. Where do I even start? Since I started this journey 16 years ago, I’ve made it my mission to create a Dream Team of Advisors and Mentors to learn from, seek counsel, and act as examples in business, life, and creativity.

In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?

When I was cooking with Chefs Alain Saihlac and Jacques Pepin at The James Beard House, Chef Alain told me Cooking + Love = Happiness. I believe these are the key ingredients to creating a dish that customers are crazy about. I bring my heart into every bottle of Lisa’s 1973, and I think people can taste it.

Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal’ for you?

The perfect meal for me is enjoying a beautiful meal outdoors composed of fresh, seasonal, local foods, lovingly and joyfully prepared, and surrounded by family, friends and lots of laughter. Of course, everything would also be gluten-free, so I could enjoy every morsel of goodness.

Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?

My training as a sommelier, and my studies of the food ways practiced by ancient and indigenous cultures, have inspired the dressings and sauces I created for Lisa’s 1973. Simple, pure, organic ingredients with layers of unexpected freshness and a beautiful finish to pair with anything from salads to pasta to grilled meat or fish, and even gelato! When you honor each ingredient’s energy and allow their flavors to emerge, the possibilities are truly limitless!

Each season also really inspires my creativity in the kitchen. How can I showcase the beautiful crispness of baby lettuces and herbs, fresh spinach leaves, the delicacy of sun-ripened berries, or the grounding energies of delicata squash and Japanese sweet potatoes when fall arrives. Bringing the colors, flavors and energies of each season into the dressings and sauces I create for Lisa’s 1973, or dishes I cook for family and friends has always been important to me.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?

Lisa’s 1973 will be launching two new flavors this summer. We are also working on a Web 3 NFT project with the purpose of building community and helping to end food insecurity, especially for kids and families who have food allergies.

Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an initiative to help promote healthy eating. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?

Lisa’s 1973 is a premium collection of refrigerated, organic, plant-based dressings & sauces filled with functional ingredients. My wife and I were forced to change our diets following dire health issues several years ago, and as we emerge from this pandemic, we want to show everyone that it’s possible to have healthy options that actually taste great, too! So far, the dressings are getting rave reviews and some of the proceeds will go towards helping organizations that help end food insecurity, especially for families with food allergies. Since launching in April, Lisa’s 1973 has secured five retail accounts in New York and Connecticut, is available DTC through the company’s website, and has a forth-coming web 3 project in the works.

Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?

My wife and I are passionate about Lisa’s 1973 because we personally faced health issues — autoimmune conditions, congenital heart disease requiring open heart surgery, anxiety & depression — and we were only in our 30s! In our research, we discovered we were not the only ones. And we did not even eat fast food or junk food! Six out of 10 Americans suffer from at least one chronic health condition, and the lion share of those conditions are linked back to our country’s food system. We wanted to re-invent the taste experience of better-for-you food. As a chef and culinary archaeologist, I knew I had the skill set to make taste buds dance with flavor and health. Lisa’s 1973 offers our customers a phenomenally healthy and delicious taste experience. Our customer base tells us we’ve wow-ed them and created a product that’s “addictive” and their “new obsession.” We seek to meet consumers where they are, and have found our product appeals equally to the person aspiring to healthy or plant-based eating for the first time, as for the lifetime conscious eater.

Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was helped by your cause?

One of our customers shared with me that she had significant autoimmune issues and wanted to turn to food as medicine, but when one doesn’t feel great, everything feels overwhelming. Finding Lisa’s 1973 was a sublime taste experience for her AND she appreciated that products like ours had done all the thinking for her. She went on to share that Lisa’s 1973 not only nourishes her body but also her spirit (and she gets the reprieve from feeling like she’s eating the flavor of cardboard!). Sharing our personal and professional journeys with candor has also been refreshing and helpful to her.

Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?

1. Ask companies to reduce the amount of inflammatory oils in the foods we eat. A healthy ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids is 1:1. Today, it’s at least 25:1 and that is highly inflammatory.

2.Eat more fruits & vegetables: the CDC reports that fewer than 1 in 10 adults and adolescents eat enough fruits and vegetables. This will help reduce chronic disease.

3. Reduce the number of sugary products marketed to kids. Sugar is in everything, and our children are suffering from type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, and that’s all from sugar.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Chef or Restaurateur” and why? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. Love on your first 100 to 1000 fans! I wish someone had told me that these people would be my biggest advocates and my company’s best ambassadors.

2. Listen to your customers. I made Lisa’s 1973 because I wanted better-for-you ingredients for my own salad addiction and to kick up the flavor of salmon, chicken, tacos, and veggies. I wish someone had told me earlier in my career that your customer knows your product best! Our customers have shown us the unlimited possibilities of Lisa’s 1973: as a pesto for pizza, tossed with orzo salad, as a marinade, slathered on sandwiches and wraps, flavoring soups, paired with fresh berries and mango, and my wife even drizzled it on gelato and ice cream! Things I never would have imagined.

3. Gratitude! I wish someone had told me the importance of gratitude and how it sets the tone for the day. Many years ago, one of my mentors suggested I start every morning with a letter of gratitude to the Universe. What a game changer. It gets my mind in a good (or at least better!) space and allows me to ebb and flow with the day in a more mindful and centered way. Which brings me to number four…

4. Everything always works out — even if it’s not how you thought it would! I wish someone had told me that I don’t need to stress or worry myself sick over situations. I’ve learned over the years that it’s really helpful to write down on paper all the areas in my business or personal life where the answer is unclear, or where I might be struggling. It can be anything from how to source an ingredient to something really big that’s worrying me. When I give it to the Universe and ask how I can be of greatest service that day, the solution always comes in the time frame it’s supposed to appear,

and in the way that’s ultimately best for the situation, even if it isn’t how I originally imagined it should be.

5. Ask for help! I wish someone had told me that it’s ok to be vulnerable and not to have all the answers. Learning to ask for help was really hard for me; however, I have learned that when I ask for help, the Universe really opens up in unexpected ways, and often better than I could have dreamed up. The teachers, mentors, advisors and opportunities I have today showed up when I quit thinking I had all the answers and learned to ask for help. Today, I like to pay this gift forward, too, by being helpful to others.

What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?

It’s summer and for an unexpected dessert, the one dish that people must try is a trio of gelato or sorbet with Lisa’s 1973:

Strawberry Sorbet with Lisa’s 1973 Studio Fifty Fresh (Thai Basil) Mango Sorbet with Lisa’s 1973 Disco Spice & Everything Nice (Cilantro-Jalapeño) Vanilla Gelato or Ice Cream with Lisa’s 1973 Groovy Zest (Hot Honey Lemon)

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

Martha Stewart! She is such a visionary with high standards, beautiful, impeccable taste, and who is also human and uses that as her strength.

How can our readers further follow your work?

NA Wine & Food

https://www.foodbodysoul.net/

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

This article was first posted on June 6, 2022 on medium and was reproduced here with the consent of the author.