Hidden Gems: Meet Yaritza Reyes of Yarie Cooks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yaritza Reyes.

Hi Yaritza, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been around food as long as I can remember. My grandmother had a baking business, and my two uncles were cooks in different establishments. Our dinner table doubled as a baker’s bench every evening. I remember being about five years old and going with my grandmother to deliver her delicious pies to small cafes, and juice bars, in our small border town city of Nogales Mexico.

around 8 or 9 I would watch PBS and could watch ‘Entertaining with Michael Chiarello’ for hours. The first recipe i would ever attempt was shrimp scampi. I was around 10 years old, and I watched it on his show.

Fast forward to 18 yrs of age, I joined the United Stated Marine Corps, served six years active duty, and moved to Orlando FL, in 2008, to start fresh and rediscover who I was.

While working administrative jobs, I felt so unfulfilled, but those were my acquired skills that transferred to my new life as a civilian.

I always found myself cooking. I never saw it as a career choice, because coming from the family I came from, cooking wasn’t a prestigious career, it was something we did to make ends meet. My family wanted me to be a Lawyer or something ” Successful”.

After some friend suggested I look into Le Cordon Bleu here in Orlando FL, I said, ” Why not… what’s the worst thing that could happen?” I went to the orientation, took the campus tour, and I instantly knew. This is what I’m supposed to be doing.

I loved culinary school. I graduated in 2010, I worked at a raw vegan cafe in Winter Park FL, for a few months. and went on to work at a Disney resort kitchen. During my time there I also worked as a freelance food stylist and got the opportunity to work twice at the Darden Headquarters Test Kitchen, helping a Chef I had met while in culinary school.

In 2011, I got married and started our family. This in when I left working in the kitchens for a while, But I couldn’t stop cooking. I cooked every chance I got and started catering small parties.

I loved food and the power it has to help us heal, I decided to further my schooling, so I got my bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science. This allowed me to understand food on a deeper level.

In 2015 Took on my first Meal prep client, which has turned in to dozens, on and off in the past 6 years.

I have always loved teaching people what they don’t know or understand when it comes to cooking. I learned that food doesn’t mean the same to me as it does to others. It brings me joy, to others it’s a daunting task. I dream of having my own cooking studio.

I began teaching cooking classes. Cooking fundamentals, clean eating. in group setting or one on one.

Summer of 2020 I got the opportunity to volunteer at a Women’s rehabilitation center for Sex trafficking survivors. It was an amazing experience. I still work small parties and take personal cooking class clients.

This year, my kids joined a homeschooling co op, where I began teaching K-5th grades.

It’s such a joy, to see young kids learning real cooking techniques, terminology and loving it.

This was truly a blessing from God, in His perfect time. I believe, this season is laying down the foundation to some amazing things.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Things haven’t always been smooth. From the very beginning, I’ve had to overcome all of the odds stacked against me. Born to a teenage mother. Raised by my grandmother. Growing up in a blended family. Life was never really easy. That’s what lead me to join the Marine Corps. That was sort of my ” golden ticket” to get away.

Being young, naive, in the military made lots of mistakes. I learned from each one-off them and wouldn’t change a thing.

Moving to Orlando right after the military, starting in a new city, new life, new everything and not knowing anyone except 2 prior military friends, finding myself homeless, and having to crash on their couch and working dead end jobs to get on my feet. I found that exceptionally difficult. That lead me into clinical depression. I was prescribed medication. Shortly after that, I found Jesus Christ and that was a turning point in my life. I started culinary school, I got married, and started our family.

The obstacles in my field were few, because I went from the military (a male dominated field) to the kitchen. another male dominated field. I love the fast pace, cut-throat, high pressure environment.

Leaving my career in the” kitchen” as soon as I did, was a bit of a struggle, but my heart wanted to be devoted to my family.

Keeping my career “on hold” was HARD. I’ve sat and watched other chefs “blow up” on social media through the years and that used to really bother me. It felt like I was watching my career slip through my fingers. But in the waiting, I discovered that I had a passion for teaching, that the “thrill ” of the kitchen could never match. It has been a beautiful thing which has taken my career into another direction and its perfect.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Yarie Cooks?
Yarie Cooks was established in 2010 and has evolved through the years. Currently, we are providing culinary education courses. specializing in cooking fundamentals, clean eating, children’s classes and international cuisine. We are known for our diverse food. We love our Sonoran Mexican food, but our food is influenced by many international flavors and cuisines. We love to make dishes that will entice even the pickiest eater. One thing that sets us apart is that we know that our body is a temple, and we know we must eat well balanced meals, but we never shy away from using flavor. We like using fresh ingredients, have specialty menus i.e gluten free, mgs free, organic, non GMO.

We are working on bringing you a cookbook series, as well as Virtual course and more.

What matters most to you? Why?
Food education matters to me. At 24 I was diagnosed with Arthritis, which led to my Honorable discharge after 6 years of faithful service in the Marine Corps. At the time of my discharge in 2008, my pain was off the charts, my inflammation was 3 times the normal levels and I found no relief from the pain.

This led me to research about inflammatory foods, and what I had to change in my diet to find relief. What I discovered blew my mind. Everything I was eating was causing me pain. Everything I loved was on the “Do not eat” list. But I had a choice to make. Keep my bad diet and live in pain or change the food and see if I can find relief.

I tried eating better, but I was still struggling to make the changes. Around this time is when I enrolled into culinary school.

Shortly after I found myself working at a raw vegan cafe, where I learned the power food. I fell in love with food even more.

It changed my life. I’ve been eating raw vegan or vegan in spurts throughout the past decade, it makes me feel amazing. But it’s not a permanent change. I have made permanent changes with some flexibility.

Knowing what to eat will change your life. Some people feel overwhelmed in the kitchen, or simply think that eating healthy is a very limited and boring lifestyle. This is why I love educating people on not only what to eat, but how to cook it. Breaking those stereotypes, opening people’s minds and equipping them with the proper skillset, that will benefit them and their health forever.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yarie_cooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yariecooks

Image Credits
Francisco Montes | @mccallisterpr (headshot)
Yaritza Reyes