Meet Chef James.
The kitchen is my happy place.
When I was 13 years old, I made dinner for my parents for the first time. It was a tostada salad. But what I remember most is the feeling as they sat down and dug into that meal. I felt so much LOVE: love for my parents, the love that inspired me to cook for them, and the love they experienced as they enjoyed my dinner. The joy I felt was so palpable. I knew right then that this was something I had to do.
In my college years I learned quickly the impacts of a junk food diet as I went screaming (literally) to the hospital in the agony of passing a kidney stone. Turns out a diet of root beer and pizza is not as sustainable as I thought…
After studying at the Natural Gourmet Institute of Health and Culinary Arts in New York in 2004, I was a specialty chef for the Van’s Warped tour, I private cheffed for some of the biggest names in Hollywood, I founded and led the healthy LA-based meal delivery company, Wholesome2Go, for its first 8 years, and authored recipes for my own and others’ cookbooks, not least of which was that fateful collaboration with Margaret, which yielded two gorgeous girls, two cookbooks (the Naked Foods Cookbook and the Ultimate Immune Boosting Gummy Book), and a lot of lives transformed.
In 2020, I founded the functional food company, Castle Hill Foods and we launched our first product, Pluck, an organ-based seasoning. Nutrition in a pinch. I author recipes for functional medicine practitioners (most recently Dr. Alejandro Junger’s Clean7), I consult for restauranteurs, train home kitchen staff, destination private chef and I inspire and educate people to take control of their health through their kitchen by speaking and teaching throughout North America.
Interested in working together? Send me a note!
“James’ meals and recipes heal the body and consistently delight the taste buds. When I work with him, my patients come back with rave reviews!”
Dr. Mike Carragher
Founder and Medical Director, The Carragher Method @ The Body Well
I frequently refer my patients to James for private cheffing and meal support, because his food is delicious and top-notch quality. In my experience with patients, they have to like what they’re eating or else they’re not going to stick with their plan. James always delivers.
He is a master with sauces. He can work with any kind of restricted diet and make it interesting.
I’ve found that you can tell a patient what to eat, and you can give instructional materials on how to eat. But, for people that aren’t used to making healthy food choices and preparing food themselves – it can be a very difficult process.
Working with James takes the guesswork out of what to eat, how to make it taste good, and what’s needed to stick to a plan.
In addition, James’ sourcing is meticulous. All the fish is wild-caught, all meat sources are from pastured animals, all produce is organic. He pays attention to using the right kind of oils for different cooking temperatures. This is all so important.
My patients’ success rates are so much higher with his support. Two weeks with him and they’re dropping pounds and making real changes.
Lori Pool
Founder, Life Fire
After interviewing several chefs to work with us on our new restaurant concept, the moment we connected with James, we knew he was our guy. He was special. It was kinda like a lightning bolt.
A skilled chef with deep knowledge of healthy food preparation and the industry, we brought James into the team to collaborate on our menu, guide us on health ideology, and help bring our vision and business plan to life.
He helped us move beyond what we thought we could achieve.
As each concept was teed up, rather than moving forward with his own vision, he was great at asking clarifying questions to make sure he was clear on our goal. We could always count on him to help sort out the various trends and terminology, clarify our objectives and improve the whole process.
James is capable of effective and deep collaboration. On top of that, he’s just an awesome human being.
He understands the process of give and take, sharing knowledge and nurturing a creative project. There’s a positive energy, a goodness about him, that comes across from day one. What’s more, he brings a very healing and calming presence to every encounter.
You simply couldn’t find a more caring and thoughtful collaborator.
It takes someone who can brainstorm when you hit a wall, and you’re thinking, “I know this could be better. What’s missing? What can we do differently in the technique? What additional ingredient will take it over the top?” Those interactions with James were critical to the project’s success.
Rarely in life do you find all of these qualities in one person: great at what they do, fun to work with, great personality, and top notch integrity.
Not only did he become a part of our team, he became a part of our family. We love you, James!
Wes Okerson
Personal Trainer
James and I shared several high profile celebrity clients, combining my fitness coaching with his food. These are people with high stress jobs, and usually a huge demand on the body. I noticed significantly better results when James was in charge of food:
#1 Satisfaction: Clients were on board with James’ food, and could trust that it would be tasty, without setting them back on their goals. James always made sure to have a huge variety of flavors. All organic. All aligned with their specific health goals.
#2 Mood: When people can count on great food, without having to think or overthink about what to eat, it makes a huge difference. With high pressure health goals and very little extra time, having James’ food had a significant impact on their daily experience.
#3 Physique: With one client in particular, I remember his entire physique changed during the period that James came on the scene. He was getting fuel, putting on more lean body tissue and losing fat. And he would stick to the plan because he liked the food.
James is a rare combination. Sometimes you have a chef cooking for taste, but the portion size or macro-nutrient balance are off. Or, you have a traditional nutritionist, where the food just doesn’t taste good or is too boring. With James, it’s like having a chef and nutritionist in one, where the food is tasty and geared towards their health goals. I highly recommend him for all my clients.
Explore
Check out some instant-access resources.
Immune-Boosting Gummy Book
Support your household’s immune system with these delcious, kid-approved gummy recipes and step-by-step instructions.
Nourishing Recipes
Wondering what to make for dinner tonight? Looking for recipes that align with your diet? Browse over 400 delicious and simple recipes!
The Naked Foods Cookbook
The whole-foods, healthy-fats, gluten-free guide to losing weight and feeling great. One of Margaret and my first collaborations!
Nutrition, in a pinch.
Pluck is a simple and delicious way to increase the nutritional value of everything you eat.
