Meet Julia Corlett | Personal Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Corlett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I didn’t necessarily mean to start my own business. It was born quite organically by living in a very small community in rural Colorado during the time of Covid.

Prior to the onslaught of Covid, I had been working as the kitchen manager at a Buddhist retreat center. They kept me on as long as they could, but once it became apparent that no retreats were going to come through, they had to furlough me. Thankfully, even during holding that job, I had a private client (more of an earth angel, really) for whom I would cook twice a week. I would cook for her and her partner in my own kitchen and then deliver to them, plating the food and setting the scene for a lovely dinner for two.

Through word of mouth, as is often the case in a small town, people heard that I was preparing meals and delivering to homes. This felt much safer than going out to a restaurant (though our small town only has a couple of restaurants, anyway!). I started to get a lot of phone calls – “can you fit me into your meal delivery schedule?” Before I knew it, I was cooking Monday through Friday for different people, delivering food either wearing a mask, or simply dropping at people’s doorsteps, depending on their level of caution regarding Covid. It got to the point where I had to start turning down clients, unfortunately, because I needed to find the balance between work and my personal life.

Now that I have stepped into the role of full-time personal chef, I can’t imagine doing life any other way. I have become very attached to my clients and am so grateful for their support and love, especially during a time when many people were getting laid off. To be able to support myself in a small town feels like a feat in itself, and to be able to do it by nourishing and nurturing people that I love is a veritable dream. I simply could not make up a better situation.

Furthermore, as time goes on, I’m learning to able to create more of a balance in my life, which is something I’ve always struggled with. Monday through Friday has always felt ridiculous to me – especially 40 hours a week – so I create a schedule that allows for plenty of time for myself. It feels extremely important for me to be able to have time to devote to my spiritual practice, exercising and hiking, and my relationships with my partner, family (my mom recently moved to Crestone from LA!), and friends.

I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to be in a position to have my own business and I don’t plan on returning to the regular work force any time soon. in fact, if anything, I’m thinking about expanding and creating a small events company. Time will tell!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Though I never went to culinary school, I was obsessed with cooking even at a young age. I asked my dad when I was 6 to teach me how to make scrambled eggs because his were noticeably better than any other scrambled eggs I had ever eaten. (The trick was to use a saucepan and very low and slow heat.) I cooked throughout my whole young adult life. My greatest joy was to throw dinner parties for close friends. Truly nothing brought more love into my heart than rolling out fresh pasta for a lasagna for friends.

It certainly wasn’t easy to get to this point; mostly because of that pesky little feeling – insecurity. Because I don’t have any professional training, I never felt “good enough” to cook for a living. It was only through a strange but life-changing experience working at a design firm that I found the courage to pursue cooking as a career.

In my mid-20s, I worked at a design firm in West Hollywood, CA. Every day we communed outside at a large table and ate our lunch together. I brought my lunch every day because I struggle to pay top dollar for mediocre food, and this area of West Hollywood at the time was a food wasteland.

One day, one of the graphic designers eyed longingly at my plate and bemoaned that my food looked so much better than the boxed up lunch he had bought and was eating for the zillionth time. I still don’t know if he was completely serious when he asked his next question, but I am eternally grateful that he did, because it changed my life forever. He said, “can I just like, pay you to bring me lunch every day?” I was gobsmacked! Someone wanted to pay me to cook for him. The other graphic designer was like, “wait, me too!” And thus the Meal Plan was born.

Twice a week I would cook for those two graphic designers, and soon I was cooking for 12 of the employees. It became…A Thing. I would set the table with our beautiful office Heath Ceramics (we were a design firm, after all) and we’d all sit together and share the food I’d prepared. I felt guilty that I couldn’t cook for the whole office, but I was working out of my tiny little Los Feliz apartment kitchen, which was not really fit for large-scale cooking!

After about a year of this, someone in my office asked why I didn’t pursue cooking as a career. I said, “well, I never went to culinary school, so I don’t feel like I have the skills to cook for a living.” He just gave me back a blank stare. “Julia, you have been preparing these incredible meals for us that we all can’t wait to eat every single week. You ARE good enough!”

This is exactly what I needed – a little jolt of confidence to combat that insecurity.

As terrifying as it was, I put in my notice soon thereafter to take a job at a well-known catering company in LA. I think I took a 75% pay cut at that point, but I knew I was at a crossroads in life and wanted to choose the path of passion, not money.

It was not easy at first. I could barely afford my rent, I couldn’t go out for drinks or dinner with friends anymore, and the hours were inhumane. Sometimes I had to be in the kitchen at 3 AM for an event. I can’t say that I was exploding with happiness at that time. But ultimately it was a blessing because I ended up leaving California, realizing that the competitive, fast-paced kitchen life was decidedly not for me. I preferred slow cooking, filled with love and intention.

Now I cook out of my own kitchen in this beautiful mountain town, devoting a lot of time and energy to creating menus for my clients who have a lot of special dietary needs. I never want to work in a restaurant again where there is such a ridiculous hierarchy and even more ridiculous amount of yelling. That energy does not belong in food!

I consider cooking an art. It’s all about finding that balance in flavors, textures, and aesthetics. And though I didn’t go to culinary school, I finally have overcome that insecurity and realized that cooking is an inherent gift that I am lucky to have and to nurture through my work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Crestone is hardly a metropolis, but we do have our gems! The first place I’d take a friend is to Buck’s Pizza – I swear this pizza rivals the pizza in Italy. Seth, the proprietor and chef, uses a homemade wood-fired oven. He gets oak wood from the Midwest because it burns the best and creates that inimitable flavor in the crust. And the pizza patio is the best place to hang out in Crestone. Inevitably we run into friends, and often there is live music or an open mic night, which is a great way to experience the local Crestone Culture.

After a pizza I’d take a visiting friend on a hike through the woods, of which we have innumerable. We have many creeks running through Crestone, and my favorite is to hike along one, and end with a nice cold plunge. We are big followers of Wim Hof in this town and think that cold plunging is a wonderful way to keep our immunity nice and strong. Plus, who doesn’t love a nice dip in an alpine creek?

Once we’d come down from a little hike, I’d take a friend to what my partner and I lovingly call “The Chateau,” which is the absolutely stunning home he built with his own two hands. Lars, my partner, built it right on the creek, and it is one of the most peaceful places in Crestone. Our favorite morning activity is having coffee on the deck and watching the birds eat at the feeder. Between the sound of the running creek and the birds chirping, it is truly idyllic, especially for a friend who might be coming from a busy city.

After a little siesta at the Chateau, I’d take a friend up to the stupa, officially called Karma Thegsum Tashi Gomang Stupa, but colloquially just called “the big stupa.” For those who don’t know, a stupa is a Buddhist commemorative monument that usually houses sacred relics. They are beautiful structures, often surrounded by prayer flags, and our big stupa happens to have one of the best views of the San Luis Valley. I love to go when the sun is setting. I’ve never seen as much sky as I have out here, and sunset is one of the best times to have nothing short of a spiritual experience there.

I would of course take any friend to the pub. That’s right, I said The Pub because we only have one (T Road Brewing Company). And thank goodness for Mike and Lori Booth, who opened up the pub this last spring after months of trials and tribulations. After The Bliss closed down, we literally did not even have one spot to gather. Thanks to Mike and Lori, we have an epic community gathering spot. There are a few different rooms in the pub, including an outside patio (where Buck’s Pizza is), so you can choose your own adventure there. We love it so much and are so grateful to Mike and Lori who are both retired but created this spot simply out of altruism!

And for any friend visiting, I would recommend a massage. It feels like one of every two people here is a trained massage therapist, and I have never gotten as many massages in my life as I have living here. We have every style and flavor – from traditional Swedish to Thai Yoga massage. I would absolutely recommend my dear friend and soul sister Katey Wheelhouse for a Thai Yoga massage. Her touch is straight up psychedelic, and she has a beautiful, light-filled studio for massage and teaching yoga. For an unforgettable Swedish massage, I’d recommend Susan Ryder, a beautiful human and epic massage therapist who has been practicing for decades.

For an extra level of decadence, a facial with Michelle Ley would be in order. I’ve had my fair share of facials in this lifetime, but Michelle is different because of her pure and kind intention, of course in addition to her special skillset and years of practice. She uses only natural products, including some that are locally made by Nicteha Cohen.

And speaking of Nicteha Cohen, I would pay her a visit for gifts to take home. She is one of the most beautiful souls I know, and this shows in her products. She carefully and intentionally wildcrafts the loveliest facial serums, lotions, and elixirs. It’s a way to take home a piece of Crestone knowing that you’re supporting one of our wonderful local artists and overall incredible human.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Crestone Earth Angel, Anne Silver. She took me under her wing during a difficult time. Not only is she my #1 client forever and always, but I also consider her a mother to me. We have spent countless hours together that I will always cherish in this lifetime. Without her wise words, astrological advice, and loving kindness, I doubt I’d have made it in a place like Crestone.

Instagram: ma_copine_cuisine

Image Credits
All of these photographs are my own.