FOOD CAN HEAL

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FOOD CAN HEAL *

ABOUT CHEF ERIN + B&T BODEGA

I’m Chef Erin “ET” — a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, and certified nutrition coach. I hold a Culinary Science degree from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts (2015) and am Precision Nutrition L1 certified, currently pursuing my L2 Master Certification and NBHWC board certification.

My background spans over a decade in restaurants, culinary instruction, and recipe development for cookbooks, websites, and athletes, as well as health navigation coaching with Strategic Action Health.

At B&T Bodega, I bring all of this together to help people build sustainable, personalized food systems where cooking becomes both nourishment and empowerment.

B&T Bodega is for people who take their health, performance, and well-being seriously — from caregivers and high performers who need steady energy, to athletes pushing for peak performance, to anyone navigating dietary restrictions, chronic illness, or specialized medical needs.

I also create systems for neurodivergent non-cooks and support current and former hospitality pros who are used to feeding everyone but themselves. Whoever you are, the goal is the same: food that heals, sustains, and gives you confidence in your own kitchen.

I REALIZED WHAT I REALLY WANT IS TO HELP PEOPLE LEARN TO COOK.

That might sound simple, but in today’s world, it’s an incredible tool of self-agency and healing. 

Cooking isn’t just about feeding ourselves. It’s about reclaiming our choices, our nourishment, and our connection to the world around us. I believe that knowledge is power. Anyone can cook when they’re given the right understanding. And as I learned from being a professional restaurant person — just because you know how to cook doesn’t mean you actually know how to feed yourself!

Now I split my time between teaching culinary arts in New Jersey and serving as the VP of Operations at Strategic Action Health, where I help people navigate the healthcare system — and, ideally, stay out of it.

This work is deeply aligned with the mission behind B&T Bodega. Because food can heal.

I SPENT YEARS IN RESTAURANTS, AND I LOVE THEM.

The pace, the teamwork, and the adrenaline are addictive. But I was constantly trying to prove my skills by outworking everyone around me, and in the process, I completely neglected my own health. This is not uncommon in the restaurant industry — feeding everyone but yourself.

I didn’t know I was sabotaging my hormones and running my nervous system into the ground.

Eventually, my system failed. I couldn’t work the line every night. It became very clear that something had to change.

When I stepped away from the line and started working on recipe development, personal cheffing, and nutrition-based culinary work, I found a new kind of fulfillment. I began serving athletes, folks with chronic illness, and people navigating complex dietary needs. I saw food shift from precision and adrenaline to medicine, nourishment, self-agency and confidence.

I worked as a recipe developer and food writer for cookbooks, websites, and blogs. I learned to communicate the magic of these recipes with people who were really reading them and trying to learn.

I began to weave the web of agriculture, locality, health and self-sufficiency into one tapestry. When I started teaching as a culinary instructor, everything clicked.

HERE’S WHAT I DO AT B&T

It’s a full-spectrum experience for people who are ready to nourish themselves with intention. You’ll get:

  •  An in-depth nutritional consultation so I can understand your relationship to food

  • Pantry audit

  • Custom recipes built around your lifestyle, health needs, and preferences

  • Budget-friendly strategies 

  • Kitchen coaching and cooking tutorials (in person or via Zoom)

  • Grocery lists and recommendations in your area

  • Tracking and check-ins that support sustainable change

  • Tutorials, guidance, and support every step of the way!

If you’re ready to shift the way you relate to food, I’d love to cook with you. Book a calendar spot!

B&T Is Made For:

High performers

Meals designed to keep energy stable, focus sharp, and resilience high, I work with high performers across a lot of industries. (We’re talking career go-getters, super-focused students, CEO’s, and moms — anyone who needs to stay sharp and active.)

Athletes and competitors

Nutrition strategies built to match your training, accelerate recovery, and give you the edge when performance matters most. Yes, we can track your micros, macros, and every metric under the sun. I’ll help you become your own camp chef. (Fighters that need impact recovery, runners that need distance fuel, and anyone who needs to make weight — let’s get you there.)

Health seekers

Practical, sustainable food plans that support healing, reduce inflammation, and make long-term wellness actually doable. Have weird medication side effects? Wondering if an elimination diet might be helpful? We can work through it. Need a safe place to work through food-related trauma? Let’s talk about it. Not sure where to start on your health journey? Start here!

Dietary restrictions

Flavor-forward meals that work within gluten-free, dairy-free, low FODMAP, autoimmune, and other protocols — without ever feeling bland or limited. This is a fantastic time to be alive with allergies because there are a lot of great ingredients and sciences to lean on. (Goodbye sandy almond flour cupcake blog days of 2010!)

Specialized needs

Personalized nutrition for gut health, anti-inflammatory diets, post-surgery recovery, or complex medical protocols — turning food into a tool for healing and strength. When necessary, I can partner with your care team to come up with the best plan and am happy to fine-tune as much as necessary.

Neurodivergent non-cooks

Systems and strategies built for brains that don’t thrive in the kitchen — making cooking approachable, less overwhelming, and actually enjoyable. We’ll talk texture, comfort, flavor, easy techniques, and overcoming the barriers that keep you out of the kitchen.

Former or current hospitality professionals

Chefs, bartenders, line cooks, and service staff who are used to feeding everyone else — finally getting food systems that restore, refuel, and put your own health first. (Even if you have zero time and have to eat it cold over a trash can— let’s make that work for you.)

Testimonials *

Testimonials *

C. LAWSON

“I’m used to brutal foods during training camp: grueling but necessary. Working with ET had me eating well, enjoying my meals, and knowing that I had what it took not just to fight, but to sustain myself while fighting.”

ISAAC T.

“ET showed me how to enjoy the foods I eat — I thought my meds had totally erased my appetite, but it turns out there are definitely foods that are good fuel that I can notice and crave and enjoy eating!”

SARAH B.

“ET showed me how to enjoy the foods I eat — I thought my meds had totally erased my appetite, but it turns out there are definitely foods that are good fuel that I can notice and crave and enjoy eating!”