Cooking and gardening are among my lifelong passions, and where better to enjoy those than in Sonoma County, where I've lived since 1987. In my early years on the East Coast I trained and worked as a pastry chef in fine restaurants in Philadelphia including Under the Blue Moon, Ristorante DiLullo, and Apropos. I spent a few years in the Boston area, developing the baking department for an emerging gourmet shop Bond and Burkhart and was pastry chef for two years at the Harvard University Faculty Club.

After heading west and moving to Sonoma County I completed my BA in Liberal Studies at Sonoma State University and got interested in community support, education and outreach. I learned all about the nonprofit community by providing outreach and serving as a liaison for the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, the City of Rohnert Park Youth & Family Services, Petaluma City Schools, and most recently the Jewish Community Free Clinic. It was and still is an honor and pleasure to connect with the many people working to make our communities whole and complete and to serve those in need. I've definitely learned that mysterious lesson—that somehow it is the giver who receives so much in the relationship of giving.

I always kept my hand in food, so to speak, in my part-time and volunteer activities—managing special events for Out to Lunch Catering, teaching cooking at the Chops Teen Club, organizing the annual volunteer picnic for Food for Thought/Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank, and working on farms-to-schools with Food Matters in Sonoma County. In 2006, I completed an interdisciplinary MA degree at Sonoma State University through the relatively new program, Action for a Viable Future. For my final project I coordinated a two-day community and teacher training in systems thinking as applied to community food systems.

It is a surprise and delight that I've come full circle back to food! What I've learned along the way will make this business a real community venture. I will support individuals and families with wholesome, nutritious and delicious meals, connect with farmers and small producers to support local agriculture and local food production, provide training opportunities for young people exploring the culinary arts, and continue to support the nonprofit efforts closest to my heart.

Ruthy's Real Meals can provide you the delicious and timesaving dining options you seek—just give me a call. I wish you good health and bon appetit.