Asata Reid
Life Chef | Writer | Culinary Educator
Hi, I’m Chef Asata and you’re probably wondering, “What’s a Life Chef?”
The short answer is that I teach healthy cooking classes, but inside of each class is so much more than a few chef tricks and a tasty morsel.
Medical experts say obesity is an epidemic in America. As a “gateway illness,” obesity is costing this nation billions of dollars annually in the treatment of sometimes-preventable diseases like hypertension, diabetes and many others.
Most people know the basics of healthy eating: less fat, sugar and salt, more whole grains, lean protein and vegetables, etc. What’s missing is the implementation of healthy planning, shopping and cooking into the everyday lifestyle.
Life Chef works to fill that information gap with cooking classes that will enlighten and empower the entire community!
Let me show you how delicious, nutritious and FUN healthy cooking and eating can be.
by 
Hi, I’m Chef Asata and the short answer is that I teach healthy cooking classes, but inside of each class is so much more than a few chef tricks and a tasty morsel.
Life Chef works to provide information that will enlighten and empower the entire community! 
![Purple cauliflower at today\](http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/10948651_1556734867911114_976663315_n.jpg "Purple cauliflower at today\")
![Our tomato basil soup. PreK littles learned how to "waft" in order to enjoy the aroma of their soup w/o sticking their precious little faces directly over the pot. Safety and sanitation are important! We talked about the little bubbles of a simmer which let me know our soup is hot. Then one smart cookie observed steam rising from the pot. Stirring makes sure our soup heats evenly so we don\](http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/10948938_1564717773785458_861893139_n.jpg "Our tomato basil soup. PreK littles learned how to \"waft\" in order to enjoy the aroma of their soup w/o sticking their precious little faces directly over the pot. Safety and sanitation are important! We talked about the little bubbles of a simmer which let me know our soup is hot. Then one smart cookie observed steam rising from the pot. Stirring makes sure our soup heats evenly so we don\")
![A day in Cooking & Nutrition w PreK. We talked about different types of tomatoes (ugly, Roma, Karzai, golden grape, green, hello, beefsteak), different colors, shapes and sizes, and different parts of the world where tomatoes are found. We talked about texture and compared crushed tomatoes to diced tomatoes. We talked about how tomatoes grow on plants, why they have "belly buttons", and discussed ripeness. Then we cut open a green tomato so we could smell it (some thought it smelled more like an Apple than a tomato) and feel how firm it was. We talked about dry and fresh spices, how herbs and spices can make our food delicious, and smelled fresh basil (and talked about garlic and vampires). We pureed our ingredients and brought our soup to a simmer. Then we counted out cups and even did a little math b/c Chef was short a few cups on one row and over a few cups on another. Then we ate soup. During clean up we talked about recycling and compost. And that\](http://scontent-a.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/10919466_767450779970673_1519142014_n.jpg "A day in Cooking & Nutrition w PreK. We talked about different types of tomatoes (ugly, Roma, Karzai, golden grape, green, hello, beefsteak), different colors, shapes and sizes, and different parts of the world where tomatoes are found. We talked about texture and compared crushed tomatoes to diced tomatoes. We talked about how tomatoes grow on plants, why they have \"belly buttons\", and discussed ripeness. Then we cut open a green tomato so we could smell it (some thought it smelled more like an Apple than a tomato) and feel how firm it was. We talked about dry and fresh spices, how herbs and spices can make our food delicious, and smelled fresh basil (and talked about garlic and vampires). We pureed our ingredients and brought our soup to a simmer. Then we counted out cups and even did a little math b/c Chef was short a few cups on one row and over a few cups on another. Then we ate soup. During clean up we talked about recycling and compost. And that\")
![Tomato Basil soup (cheese optional) during today\](http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/10914604_409185145903101_632333613_n.jpg "Tomato Basil soup (cheese optional) during today\")
![During this week\](http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/10919103_951209288222417_262776388_n.jpg "During this week\")
I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.