Ground Floor: North Liberty business helps people eat better

A life-changing diagnosis led Becky Russo to her new business.

In 2011, Russo was diagnosed with adult-onset type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes. Although she had practiced healthy eating habits since childhood, Russo's eyes were opened to the role nutrition plays in wellness. She decided to cut out all processed foods from her diet.

'I wanted to set myself up for success as much as possible,” Russo said.

After spending the next two years studying nutrition and honing her cooking skills, Russo began getting requests from friends to go through their kitchens to help them make healthier food choices. She realized this was a service she could provide to the public.

Becky's Mindful Kitchen was born.

'It was a perfect combination of my passion and a real need I saw,” Russo said of the decision to open her own business in October 2013.

The mission of Becky's Mindful Kitchen is to teach people how to reduce their dependence on processed foods and show them how to eat, cook and love real food. Russo offers services like kitchen inventories, food shopping education, cooking lessons and parties, and personal cooking services.

'I use the umbrella term ‘personal food consultant' to describe my services,” Russo said. 'I'm upfront with people. I don't have a degree in nutrition. I don't diagnose. I offer the knowledge that I have.”

A consultation with a new client generally involves the person coming to Russo's North Liberty home. Russo spends about an hour discussing her real food philosophy, going over a typical daily menu to identify simple and inexpensive changes, and offering samples of the healthy foods stocked in her kitchen.

A next step often involves a one-hour consultation in the client's home, where Russo conducts a kitchen inventory and suggests healthy substitutions, or a trip to the grocery store, where Russo shows the client how to read ingredient lists and make smart purchasing decisions.

'The shopping trip is one of the most useful things I offer,” Russo said. 'I show people how to spot marketing tricks used to sell expensive processed foods that aren't really healthy.”

One of Russo's most popular services is what she calls 'food concierge.” For a monthly subscription fee, a client can contact Russo at any time via email, text message or Facebook with questions about ingredients, recipe modifications, or general cooking advice. Russo will find the answer or customize and test a recipe and get back to the client with a response.

'It's easy to get lost on the Internet looking for a recipe or figuring out what is healthy,” Russo said. 'I will do the work for them.”

Russo said some people get to the point where they no longer need her services.

'Nothing makes me happier to see clients take my advice and make it work for them,” she said. 'I want people to reclaim their kitchens, own their own palettes and rediscover the joy of cooking.”

Know a manager or company in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor”? Contact George Ford at George.Ford@sourcemedia.net

At a Glance

'Owners

: Becky Russo

'Business

: Becky's Mindful Kitchen

'Email

: beckysmindfulkitchen@gmail.com

'Phone

: (319) 325-3464

'Website

: beckysmindfulkitchen.com