I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris in her new takeaway store in Carlisle.As I walked in the store she was cooking up some delicious spicy pumpkin soup and had all sorts of raw goodies on the counter. I was in for a treat! Chris has grown her health food blog – Tales of a Kitchen into a full-time job and now a bricks and mortar store. She has grown her audience of followers to over 17k on Facebook and 22k on Instagram over the past 3 years! Read on and get to know Chris.

Tell us a bit about yourself, what were you doing before Raw by Chris?

Before I started doing this I was a development worker, with United Nations and come from a not-for-profit organisation background. I moved here with my better half a few years ago and that’s when I began my blog Tales of a Kitchen. I was really passionate about eating healthy foods and enjoyed photography. Actually I started Tales of a Kitchen because I wanted to keep a journal of all my recipes! Having a blog was an easy way to keep track of them all! The blog just grew so quickly, I think the raw/health trend was really coming into fashion, so that worked in my favour.

What is Tales of a Kitchen all about?

It’s all about sharing healthy food ideas and a healthy lifestyle. I’m a self-taught cook, leading a healthy, active lifestyle and I love creating new recipes. Sometimes I fail in the kitchen and at other times I succeed in making perfect food! My recipes are not complicated so anyone can make them, no fancy equipment required.

What has been your biggest high-five-to-self moment in your business so far?

Actually it’s been really cool to be able to be involved with the local community, my store is part of the Town of Victoria Park and I’ve been able to work with them on creating inviting communal spaces in the community.

What has been the most challenging thing?

I think the most challenging thing has been setting up a bricks and mortar store, and all the things that come with that as well as finding the right people to work with – that have the same passion for health and quality food!

What exciting things do you have planned for the rest of the year?

Lots of things… I wish I could share them all with you but not all confirmed. I have recently signed a book deal, so that is in the works.