About Us

About Chef Allysia

Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, she’s a young and passionate vegan and raw foods chef and educator.  She loves helping people become healthier and happier, and preparing awesome plant-based foods is her favorite way of doing that.  She most enjoys preparing meals that are a blend of vibrant and healthy, as well as homey and comforting – taste and food enjoyment is always her first priority.

Allysia wasn’t always interested in health and cooking – For years while she taught piano lessons, she lived off grilled cheese sandwiches and instant noodles.  On a whim when she was in her early twenties, Allysia decided to cook 4-5 recipes from cookbooks each week, and ended up loving it so much that she maintained the educational discipline for over two years.  Wanting to further her training, she studied raw foods at Living Light, as well as natural plant-based cuisine at the Natural Epicurean.  This led Allysia to opportunities like teaching, catering and testing recipes for a published cookbook.

Experience

• Trained under Cherie Soria and Jennifer Cornbleet, leaders of the raw food movement, at Living Light Culinary Institute in Northern California

• Earned a certificate in Plant-Based Cooking at the Natural Epicurean in Austin, Texas

• Has experience in a variety of dietary disciplines, including macrobiotics, ayurveda, raw foods, and diets such as Engine 2

• Studied plant-based nutrition from Rick Dina, D.C., and Karin Dina, D.C.

• Helped test recipes for “Caribbean Vegan”, a published cookbook

• Owns, operates and runs a successful food blog “The Real Meal”, with recipes, pictures, videos and anecdotes

• Has written numerous articles for online publications Happy Cow and One Green Planet, on the subjects of nutrition and cooking

• Catered a small independent film set by Rob Hillstead

• Taught successful cooking classes through the Regina Public Library

• Taught piano lessons for 6 years (fostering a love of teaching in a one-on-one or small group environment)

Allysia cooks, teaches and blogs with her partner, Mike Van Betuw.  While not professionally trained as a chef, he has restaurant experience as well as a strong knack for cooking.  He also hasn’t been a part of the plant-based world for long, so his palate helps keep things real.  As a high school science teacher, Mike also shares a passion for teaching and sharing knowledge with others.

Both Allysia and Mike have up-to-date ServSafe certifications as well as insurance, so you can trust that food will be prepared in a safe, professional manner.

For any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact us at therealmealclasses@gmail.com.