Chef Micaela

I taught myself how to cook by finding any and all ingredients in the fridge or pantry and turning them into something new. Orange juice concentrate, Arizona iced tea, and the bottom of the pace picante salsa jar ( and adding any fresh ingredients I could find) made for a delicious marinade reminiscent of cochinita pibil ( but I didn’t know that yet). Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve had the luxury of access to fresh fish, organic produce, and humanely raised animals. We moved to North Idaho when I was a child on 10 acres. We were by no means farmers, but we had rows of blueberry bushes I’d eat by the handful and we raised a cow that was later butchered and I would proudly grab Robin from the freezer to defrost for dinner.

My professional culinary experience began on the other side of the kitchen, working front of house for a chef-owned and operated restaurant. The chefs mentored and educated me in the values of local food, organic farming, and seasonal eating. I worked with them as beverage director, refining my palate and expertise through wine and coffee and eventually as general manager. We travelled and tasted our way through New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, and Copenhagen at the best restaurants in the world.

When my autoimmune conditions first flared, they nurtured me through food including making me bone broth every week and vegetable purees. I witnessed first hand how food aids in healing. My theoretical knowledge of flavors from food, wine, and coffee, came in handy when my food options were limited to less than 10 ingredients.

I started working for Happy Belly in March of 2023. I was overjoyed to find a chef service catering to dietary restrictions with values of ingredient integrity in Nashville. I believe in the high value service Happy Belly offers. When I travelled back to Washington to provide postpartum food for my cousin, I decided to launch a second hub of Happy Belly in Washington State. For this season, I may be seen less in your kitchen and more in your inbox. It is a tremendous privilege to offer food support to people in all seasons of life.