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Chef Victoria Cortes Print E-mail
As a personal chef I prepare food for people with all sorts of appetites and favorite dishes. I am challenged by and learn from all of them, but I am most inspired by the clients who follow a special diet in order to ease an ailment or fight cancer. These clients, in learning about their condition, have come to fully understand how food can play a major role in regulating how they feel, and how it may complement or hinder their medical treatments.


 



 
  

"Embrace your freezer as your best friend in the kitchen. There really are very few foods that don't freeze well. I find that the best way to introduce new foods to my toddler is to let him discover them on his time, instead of trying to force them upon him at the dinner table. He eagerly tries new foods when I give him a taste of what I'm cooking, and he often grabs food off my plate when I'm enjoying my own healthy snack."
 
 











As a personal chef I prepare food for people with all sorts of appetites and favorite dishes. I am challenged by and learn from all of them, but I am most inspired by the clients who follow a special diet in order to ease an ailment or fight cancer. These clients, in learning about their condition, have come to fully understand how food can play a major role in regulating how they feel, and how it may complement or hinder their medical treatments.
 
For these people, eating anything less than the most nutritious REAL food is simply not an option. They receive the golden star for their healthy eating habits and serve as a model that I strive to emulate. When I shop for them, the main compartment of the grocery cart becomes a mountain of colorful produce.  To me it’s an honor to transform it all into wholesome, nourishing dishes. These clients challenge me to continually offer new and exciting ways to incorporate greens, whole grains, and legumes. Staying on my toes like that has helped me to expand my REAL food repertoire and in turn, offering REAL food to my family is now second nature. 

Chef Victoria is the personal chef of choice for green-minded foodies throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. After graduating from Allegheny College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and French, Victoria worked for several years in documentary film at the National Geographic Channel in Washington, D.C. Inspired by a year-long food-lover’s adventure in France, Victoria decided to pursue a degree in the culinary arts. Since graduating with honors from the Professional Culinary Arts Program at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Victoria has honed her skills in all kinds of kitchen operations- from fine dining, catering, and prepared foods, to the set of the television cooking show, Emeril Green (featuring Chef Emeril Lagasse).

In addition to catering, Chef Victoria also provides a bi-weekly meal service that turns her clients’ freezers into a treasure trove of gourmet cuisine. She customizes each client’s menu based on his or her personal preferences and accommodates many special diets like the gluten-free, dairy-free, Specific Carbohydrate, and Nourishing Traditions.  You can find her at VictoriaCortes.