1. Simone Shifnadel Interview
The most inspiring stories from todays’ leaders in health and fitness, join Rose in today's show.
Welcome to the Paleo Diet Magazine show with your host Rose.
Rose: Simone Shifnadel is a self-taught chef in the food industry. She has seventeen years working
in the food industry. She is an executive chef and founder of Zenbelly catering. In 2007 she moved
to San Francisco, California. Once in the bay area she worked as a personal chef and later started
Zenbelly Catering. Simone will release her new book titled "The Zenbelly Cookbook" in August 2014.
The zenbelly cookbook bridges the gap between Paleo template and gourmet cuisine. Shifnadel will
be sharing more about her book. The reason why I decide to interview Simone is because we have
something in common. We both had to eliminate Gluten from our diet because of health reason.
Removing gluten from your diet can be very challenging, it’s wonderful to know somebody like
Simone in the food industry that understands the importance of eliminating gluten from their diet
and know how to prepare delicious gluten free meals. Simone welcome it’s an honor to have you to
talk with us today.
Simone: Thanks so much for having me I’m thrilled to be here.
Rose: Thank you. Now the first thing I noticed in your book description was how many gourmet
recipeswas in your cookbook. Tell us a little about your cooking background.
Simone: Well I actually got my first job cooking while I was in college. I was nineteen (19) It was
actually at a small, really sweet vegetarian and eatery market in Connecticut. Even though I didn't
have a major selected at college, I knew that cooking wasn't going to be my career at the time
that’s what I thought. I had family in the food business and I knew how much work it was, how it
basically took over your life and even though I had such a passion for food I just never saw myself
pursuing that career because I always saw it as something meaning I would wind up working in a
restaurant and it just never seemed liked the type of life I wanted. So my cooking background
ranged from after I worked in that vegetarian restaurant and market and eatery where I learned a
lot. I learned how to make soup and if you can make really great vegan soup you are pretty much
golden because it’s one of the most difficult things to do I think, Just learned a lot more about real
food and nourishing ourselves with good food even though I don't eat vegetarian anymore of
course being Paleo it was a good foundation I think. From there I got lots of jobs in restaurants. I
kept going to college trying to figure out what I wanted to do while working in restaurants, which
was kind of funny and kept sort of resisting it. I guess it’s a little bit funny it’s what I so love to do
now but before I was absolutely, adamantly, not going to be a chef. I turned around once I moved
to San Francisco and like you said worked as a personal chef which I loved. Cooking food for people
on a more of an individual basis and for parties and more of a custom sort of event felt so much
different and so much more gratifying than working in a restaurant. Which is great for some people
2. but for me it wasn't the hours I wanted, it didn't have the creativity I desired. The catering was what
brought out the real love for food for me. Until Then I worked in a Taqueria in upstate New York, I
worked in a cute little bistro that was sort of upscale casual, sort of fine dining but not stuffy by any
means, I learned a ton there. I learned about making sauces and stocks, really cooking from scratch.
A lot about balancing flavors and self taught I always feel is a funny term because really I am self
taught because I didn't go to culinary school but really what that means is I really learned from
some amazing people. So I feel really fortunate for that.
Rose: Now you said you were self-taught, how would you characterize your cooking style ?
Simone: I would say if i were to describe it in a few words it would be refined rustic. It seems to be
really approachable but also not quite upscale like I said in a stuffy kind of way but really just
approachable and delicious. I really like things to be rustic but still sort of beautiful on the plate of
course. I just use as many fresh ingredients that I can and use the seasonal ingredients that I can get
year round in California it’s just incredible. I really try to be inspired by what’s in the market and
what’s in season and its really so much, it takes so much of the work out of it when you are starting
with incredible ingredients, like when you are using asparagus that came to the market, or berries
that just came to the market in the spring. It makes my job a thousand times simpler than trying to
make a decent ingredient amazing when you are starting with an excellent ingredient its already
almost done for you.
Rose: It must be fantastic living in California having access to all that fresh vegetable and fruits that
are in season. What was the easiest change to make and what was the hardest change to make
from going from a vegetarian diet to a gluten free diet?
Simone: it wasn't necessarily from vegetarian to gluten free. I ate vegetarian until I was around 27
and even them most of the time I was vegetarian I kept going back and forth between vegetarian
and pescatarian and honestly the reason I stopped being vegetarian because I lived in upstate New
York and also even though the season are way more harsh than here in California there is a ton of
really great agriculture around. There was an amazing farmers market, it the first real farmers
market I have ever been to and it just felt like a mile of amazing produce and there were local
renters there also. The reason I was a vegetarian was for ethical reasons I had a hard time eating
animals and being responsible for animals dying for me to eat them. I was always such an animal
lover that it felt awful to me and then I was talking to the people who were raising and harvesting
these animals and realized that they had a great life. They were raised incredibly well and their
amazing conditions are not the horrible slaughter house you see that animal rights group put out
it’s the complete opposite of that and they killed humanely and they are respected and that’s what
brought me away from vegetarianism. I have always loved food and meat was always a part of that I
feel good about what I was eating is what spread that change for me but the I still ate pretty much
whatever I wanted lots of gluten and lots of soy. I was in a relationship with someone who was
3. allergic to dairy and so we had dairy substitute which was soy and my health was just awful and I
was in my early thirties, so that was like six or so years ago that I took an allergy test and realized I
was gluten free. That was a pretty tough transition because I really loved eating and I really loved
going to a restaurant and eating what the chef recommends and not worrying about feeling
horrible two days after it. That’s been the toughest part not the cooking at home but the going out
to eat. Being able to go out and order anything on the menu or order what the chef is known for or
what the restaurant is known for and travel and eat what the region is known and because as a
chef that’s one of our favorite things to do. Cooking at home has been a breeze really It’s just when
we go out to eat is really the hardest things and asking all those questions. I hate to be that person
so I try to do it as respectfully as possible but that’s definitely the hardest thing for me is once I
leave the house.
Rose: You use a lot of healthy vegetables, meats and fat but hardly any starches can you share with
our readers why you cook the way you do?
Simone : Well I personally don't crave a lot of starchy food and with the paleo way of eating I think
there is a pretty good range in what works for people and I like that it’s a template than a hard lined
diet where there is a yes and a no and that’s it. I think we know what foods are really great for us
healthy fats, plants and animals, fermented foods and things like that and of course vegetables. I
think with things like that people just need more of that. I’m not as active as a lot of people are,
when I am catering I work my tush off pretty much for three days straight non-stop, lift heavy things
upstairs and really get some good work out in but honestly in my day to day life I am not a huge fan
of exercising even though I know it’s something I need to change. I do some yoga. I walk my dog, I
walk around the neighborhood but I don't think I need as much starchy food as people who are
active and its about people figuring out what works for them. To be completely honest when I am
cooking at home because of how much cooking I do I am a bit of a lazy cook. I often feel really great
about being able to eat some delicious meat and delicious vegetables and don't always feel inspired
to make a sweet potato or other starchy food. I love making zucchini noodles instead of regular
noodles that type of thing. I do eat starch it’s just that it’s a small percentage of what I eat and I
encourage people to figure out what works for them.
Rose: What do you hope your cookbook will accomplish for those who use it?
Simone: I hope it inspires people to get in the kitchen and roll up their sleeve and be really excited
about the food they are cooking and I hope like in the description says I am trying to bridge the gap
between paleo and gourmet. I hope people don't get scared by the word gourmet because it
shouldn't be something that is unapproachable. It just really means deliciously good food, which is
so easy when you are cooking with paleo because you are cooking with good natural ingredients. I
hope it appeals to people who aren't drawn to Paleo as much as to people who are drawn to paleo
because mostly the biggest thing I get is I oohh I could never eat that way because I love food so
4. much and I would love to just wipe that statement off the face of the earth because I have said it so
many times I’m a chef because I love food so much I am definitely not a chef because it’s a simple
job and it makes tons of money. Please!!! I just want people to realize that it’s the best way to eat if
you love food so much. The other thing I want people to realize is if you decide to eat paleo you can
eat as much as you feel like you should paleo. If you can tolerate other foods and if you want to go
out to eat you can eat what you want, you’re not doing horrible harm to yourself unless you are
eating something you are allergic to that aggravates an auto immune condition or food that makes
you feel like horrible garbage for three days. If that doesn't happen to you I think eating mostly this
way or even partially this way and cutting out a lot of the processed crap, I mean people going from
a processed food diet to eating even 50% paleo you are making a huge improvement and I think it’s
about not making it all or nothing. I am hoping my book does that and show people that look you
can make this amazing dinner, it’s not that difficult and you are not going to be missing anything
and you are not going to be changing your entire life although it depends on where people are
coming from. To me I obviously love food so much and I don't really feel restricted, unless I am out
to eat and have to ask questions and I can’t turn off my brain and eat whatever I want only because
of the gluten thing for me. So I hope it makes people realize that it’s not restrictive. It’s fun and its
simple and it’s a great way of eating whether they are at home cooks or wanna be chefs. It’s just
learning.
Rose: Now many of my readers are on a budget. Do you have any tips for them on how to eat well
on a budget?
Simone: Well if they are in area that has farmers market and I realize a lot of places in the country
are more seasonal based they might not be year round but if they have farmer's market that’s a
way to get least expensive produce and meats depending on who is there and if you buy produce
that is in season you get more abundant and its way less expensive. If you walk around the farmer's
market farmers that are certified organic have more expensive produce because the certification
cost so much and requires so much more work. There are tons of farmers out there who grow
everything organically who just don't have the certification and are not using pesticides or
herbicides and they are farming correctly in a way that ensures there are as many nutrients in the
food as possible who might be a lot less expensive and they are not doing anything different from a
certified organic farmer would. Also if you look up the environmental working group dirty dozen list
there are some of the most pesticide residue that is the dirty dozen and then there are food with
the least either because they don't require a lot of pesticide or they just don't hold a lot of them.
There are foods that are a lot safer to eat that are not organic and are lot less expensive and
asparagus is one of them just because is asparagus season. At my local market sometimes there is
asparagus that is organic that is $7.00 per pound and the unorganic is like $1.00 per pound. It’s a
huge difference. Things like eggs if you buy good quality egg they are still like cents per egg and if
you think about how much nutrients you get from one egg even if you are 6.00 per egg the amount
of nutrients you get its still pretty reasonable. The same thing applies to meat. If you are buying dry
5. aged new york steak they are gonna be expensive which is great for a treat but if you are on a
budget getting some less expensive meat like frozen meat like chops,grinds are cheaper and totally
versatile. Chicken thighs are way less expensive than buying boneless chicken breast and you get
way more nutrition out of them and they are so much tastier and there are so much more you can
do with them and its so much easier to not screw them up. To not dry out the chicken breasts are
quite a feat for some people who doesn't cook a lot. Those things they dry out quick. So buying less
expensive cuts and really nutrient that’s food I think it’s pretty doable for people. Also not making
an all or nothing thing you still have to buy foods that are not absolutely optimal but you are
making huge improvements to be okay with that and make it easy on yourself and not beat yourself
up buying everything absolutely perfect.
Rose: You mentioned time. I have a question many of our people are having a hard time managing
time in the kitchen when cooking. Do you have any tips for the busy person who wants to eat well
at home but doesn't have a lot of time?
Simone: Yes!!! I personally am one of those people so even though I spend a lot of time there are
weeks when I have tons of food in the house just because I was shooting it for the cookbook and I
wanted a total abundance of food. There are weeks when I am catering and there is just no way I
am going to be spending hours in the kitchen at home after that. So things like if you are going to
roast a chicken and the active time for that is less than a minute I mean you are salting the chicken,
throwing it in the oven and the rest is just time. As long as you can be there it doesn't take much
time. To add to that roasting two chickens doesn't take more time than roasting one because you
can put them both in the oven at one time of course and if you are cooking for a family You can get
several meals out of it. It’s a great way to get the most out of your time. I know a lot of people who
live by their slow cookers and they can throw a bunch of ingredients in before they head out for
work for the day and come home to really nutritious meal that can also be several day worth. With
vegetables I cook for two most of the time and I almost never make just enough for dinner just
because it’s so much simpler to make a whole tray of roasted veggies. It might take a little more
time in prep but if you figure the setup time, the cooking time and having to do it only once getting
more than one meal out of each thing you cook makes a huge difference in time and you can make
pots of soups and stews and things like that.
Rose: That sounds good. That sounds exciting. Now can you tell us when your new book will be
released and where we can purchase a copy?
Simone: It will be released on August 12 of this year and at the moment it’s available for preorder at
Amazon and Brian's and Nobles.com also. I’m sure once it’s actually released we will know more
about which bookstores it will be sold in. We are still working out the details on that but we are
hoping for quite a few bookstores and kitchen supplies shops.
6. Rose: Thank you that’s good information now all of our readers know where and when they can
purchase your book.
Simone I just want to thank you for this interview. We learned so much valuable information
on eating a healthy paleo gluten free diet and it’s just relaxing to know a chef in the food industry
business that can teach us how to prepare Gluten free food and I wish you a lot of success with your
new book.
Simone: Thank you so much. It was such a joy to be here. I really appreciate being on air with you.
