LibbyRachel Bies has had quite the year. Being a force to reckon with on the nutrition front has long been her forte, honing her culinary skills and sharpening her knives both metaphorically and figuratively, Rachel’s steady stream of followers on socials have been cheering on her every dish, plate and pic of son Bowie, 3. What would have stopped most of us in our tracks, being a sole provider to a rambunctious toddler, moving across the province during a pandemic, or for her grand finale to 2021, shattering her ankle so severely she required surgery, has kept Rachel laser-focused. Speaking from her new digs in Prince Edward County, Rachel detailed her big move and didn’t hold back.
THE UNSTOPPABILITY APPROACH
Resurrecting her business to a more fitting terroir with sweeping landscapes and soil more befitting of a graduate of Applied Nutrition, Rachel’s pivot to PEC was spurred by the pandemic, full stop. Feeling the crunch of many small business owners during the past 20 months, the abysmal formula of failure designed by Mr Ford meant Rachel is not eligible to receive any funds (small biz, entrepreneur), nor could she employ anyone (covid) or keep up with the demand of her current clients (have you seen her food?). Faced with this uncertainty, sky-high rents and the county calling, Rachel split town in June. Two days later she served her first catering gig and got busy building her new network, all while making trips back to Toronto to satisfy her city clients.
That’s a lot to digest for anyone, but now factor in her adorable son and a pandemic. And then there’s the foot thing. Enter relentless Rachel, replete with wisdom and fortitude, “I had a friend tell me, hey could be worse, I broke both arms same time. Someone had to wipe her butt for her! There’s always a million more ways it could be worse.” After twenty-seven screws and four plates were installed she’s almost back to walking, months and months later. Inspired by her luscious surroundings in full-swing summer is expected, winter, she’s not missing so much, with grey day unfolding into another, Rachel is upbeat about her future while still engaging her past for guidance.
“Over the last few decades I’ve worked with catering and chefs, and in my 30’s I went back to school and got my degree applied nutririon and fused my love of all things culinary with real foods, healthy foods, not just granola and rice cakes. Spices and herbs, that still look pretty on the plate, fashion forward food. It’s in my blood, my grandparents were all in food, owning a butcher shop and a store. It’s in my bones, I guess you could say you could make bone broth out of me.”
Rachel Bies
On the horizon for 2022, other than countless Lake Ontario sunsets with picturesque views over vistas of wineries and a bouncing Bowie? “Travel, of course”, she laughs, clearly needing a shakeup for her four-walls as much as anyone else in this sad-sack excuse for a province is. Rachel knows a thing or two about keeping her health in check, and not just from a nutrition sense. “I have a little scooter and I ask for lots of help. There are times you just have to ask for help. I’m doing online therapy, trying to get fresh air as much as I can. The only thing you can do is adapt and keep your head up, no one is perfect and everyone will have shit times in their lives eventually.”
Shit times indeed. If you’re seeking to curate a healthier approach to your overall nutrition and wellbeing, do check out Rachel Bies Nutrition and give her a follow on socials to stay inspired @rb food + lifestyle
Interview may be edited for length/clarity. All images courtesy Rachel Bies.