Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Richey.
Hi Catherine, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey has been anything but linear, but every step has led me to the work I do today. I actually began my college studies at Florida State University’s campus on Albrook Air Force Base in Panama with dreams of running a hotel overseas. When I transferred to FSU in Tallahassee, I declared hospitality management as my major—but after one semester working in a country club kitchen, I caught the cooking bug.
At the same time, I was in love, wanted to marry, and start a family, so I switched majors, transferred to the University of North Florida, and earned a bachelor’s in Elementary Education. I returned to Panama, married my high school sweetheart, and taught first grade on a joint Army/Air Force base while raising my two children. Moves with my husband’s career took us next to Puerto Rico, then to San Antonio, where we welcomed our third child, who is on the autism spectrum. During those years, I worked from home so I could manage his therapy schedule.
Cooking, however, was always in the background—I’ve loved food, entertaining, and travel all my life, and I’ve visited 19 countries, always taking cooking classes and bringing home recipes. Even as a teacher, I integrated food into my lessons; my students loved making crockpot meals like Stone Soup.
Once my youngest entered school, I began searching for ways to turn my love of cooking into a career. When someone suggested I look into being a personal chef—a role I hadn’t even heard of—I dove into research, enrolled in the Culinary Business Academy, and launched my personal chef business in February 2012. My first client came through a referral, and I’m still cooking for her every week, 14 years later.
Life threw curveballs—my marriage ended, and I had only my personal chef business to support myself and three kids. I rebranded to Lavish Cuisine in 2015, hired chefs to work under me, and even hit the road as a demo chef for a major seafood importer, cooking for crowds as large as 5,000. Today, I continue private chef work for families, host cooking classes and cook for dinner parties all around San Antonio and beyond, and keep one foot firmly in the kitchen.
But when my father passed away two years ago—largely from health and lifestyle choices—it shifted everything for me. I realized I wanted to help people not only enjoy food but also live longer, healthier, more joyful lives. I went back to school, earning dual certification as a Health and Life Coach from the Health Coach Institute, and two certifications from Harvard Medical School in Sustainable Nutrition Planning and the Science of Healthspan and Happiness.
In March of this year, I launched my newest venture, Modern Mindset Coaching. It’s the place where my 14 years as a chef and my training in nutrition, health, and happiness come together. I coach people to live a life they’ll never regret—because I believe it all starts at the table.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road—but every challenge has made me stronger and more adaptable. In the early years, I said yes to every job that came my way. My days often looked like this: drop my youngest at school, rush to the grocery store, cook and clean in a client’s home, and then swing back into the school pick-up line. It was a constant juggling act.
Cooking in other people’s kitchens taught me to expect the unexpected. Sometimes I’d arrive to find sinks full of dishes that needed washing before I could even start, or I’d realize I’d forgotten a key ingredient. Clients often wanted to chat while I was trying to stay on schedule. One of my most memorable jobs was a four-course dinner for twelve—cooked in a treehouse kitchen with two burners, a mini oven, and just enough counter space to fit a half-sheet pan! Experiences like that taught me to ask detailed questions about a kitchen’s setup before planning menus.
Another lesson came with the seasonal ebb and flow of client work. When clients traveled in the summer, income dried up. After a couple of lean years, I implemented a retainer policy and learned the importance of diversifying income streams. I’ve also navigated the challenges of hiring and letting go of chefs as my business grew, and I’ve worked with very high-profile clients who had exacting visions for their events. Those situations pushed me to become flexible, professional, and open to learning new dishes—even family recipes passed down for generations.
More recently, one of my biggest challenges has been launching a new business while still working full-time as a personal chef and running my existing chef company. Balancing all three requires energy, discipline, and a lot of late nights—but it’s also taught me the same resilience, problem-solving, and adaptability I now coach my clients on.
The road hasn’t always been easy, but each challenge has shaped not only the chef I am today, but also the coach I’ve become.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I actually have two businesses that complement each other and tie back to my core belief: it all starts at the table.
For the past 14 years, my company Lavish Cuisine has specialized in creating personalized chef experiences for families, dinner parties, and private events. I’m known for making food both elegant and approachable—whether that means cooking weekly meals for busy households, hosting interactive cooking classes, or designing multi-course dinners in unique settings. Clients trust me not just for the food itself, but for the care and joy I bring to their table. Some of my clients have been with me since my very first year in business, which is something I’m incredibly proud of.
More recently, I launched Modern Mindset Coaching, where I blend my chef background with my training in nutrition, healthspan, and life coaching. Here, I help people align their daily habits—what they eat, how they connect, and how they live—with the life they truly want. It’s about more than food; it’s about creating a lifestyle of joy, energy, and meaning.
What sets me apart is that I don’t separate food from life transformation—I see them as deeply connected. A shared meal can spark reconnection in a marriage, fuel energy for someone chasing new goals, or become the foundation for healthier choices that extend quality of life. That’s why my brand is built around the philosophy: Real food. Real connection. Real joy.
At the end of the day, whether I’m cooking in someone’s kitchen or coaching them through life changes, my goal is the same: to help people live a life they’ll never regret—and it all starts at the table.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was really fortunate to grow up in another country. When I was three, my dad took a job with the Panama Canal Commission and moved our family from the U.S. to a tiny town called Gamboa, right in the middle of the rainforest at the edge of the Panama Canal. Childhood there was all about adventure—playing outside until the streetlights came on, exploring the jungle trails, and watching the mosquito control trucks roll through at dusk.
I got my PADI Junior Scuba license in junior high and spent weekends diving with my parents in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. We fished in both oceans and the lakes of Panama, camped under the stars, and even paddled a wooden dugout cayuco canoe across the isthmus from ocean to ocean over three days. Growing up in that environment gave me a love for travel, culture, and experiences that connect people and place.
Personality-wise, I’ve always been type-A and a bit of an overachiever. I still remember getting a B on an essay once and staying after class to convince my teacher that it deserved an A—and he changed it after hearing my reasoning. I was driven even then. But alongside that, I was surrounded by classmates from diverse cultural backgrounds through the Department of Defense schools, which gave me a deep appreciation for different perspectives and traditions.
That mix—adventure, drive, and exposure to different cultures—really shaped who I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lavishcuisine.com
- Instagram: @chefcatrichey
- Youtube: @CoachCatRichey
- Other: https://www.modernmindsetcoaching.com
