AW Spotlight

The Cookin’ Yogi Opens the Wellness Cooking Academy

By Sabeen Faquir with contributions from Sherri Mraz and Barbara Nicholson

Sherri Mraz, owner of the Cookin’ Yogi, has recently expanded to open the Wellness Cooking Academy.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Sherri, as a graduate of INN (Institute of Integrative Nutrition), she began as a health coach and started cooking classes for private clients in 2008. She was solicited for a ladies group to do a cooking class and her Cookin’ Yogi business caught on from there. She does events such as, birthday parties and private classes and teaches people how to eat healthy in a fun and simple way.

In 2013 Sherri won the “Best Plate” award for the Flavors of Wellington event at the Palm Beach Equestrian Center. This gave Sherri a huge surge in her business. Her coaching practice grew as well as her demand for cooking classes.

Sherri’s first love has always been teaching people how they can change their health with food. She knows most medical conditions come from food. “There is an undeniable epidemic of obesity and high cholesterol in this nation”. If people would modify their diet, we could see the morbidity rates for these diseases decline,” Sherri said.

Her passion for reaching people and families to spread the message about the connection of food and health, along with her love of helping other coaches succeed in their businesses is what sparked the Wellness Cooking Academy to come to fruition.  Sherri was bombarded with questions from other coaches on how to create a successful business doing what they love. “They wanted to know how to get others to change their lifestyle through food.”

She knew she couldn’t reach everyone alone, but by training other coaches to do what she is doing, the results could be far reaching. She would create a “brigade” of healthy cooking instructors to spread the concept “Healthy begins in the Kitchen,” worldwide, and reach people and families everywhere with this important information.

Once certified, the instructors do not work for Sherri, but will be referred to customers. “My goal is to give them a ‘turn-key business’,” said Sherri.

Sherri believes that people learn best when they are enjoying themselves, and people love cooking classes! The classes are an amazing opportunity to get in front of a lot of people that may not have been seeking out health information. Classes give them health tips that can change their health as well as the health of their families.

The Academy is a 12-week certification course that runs online via live webinars.  At the end of the course, students receive a diploma and become a Certified Wellness Cooking Academy Instructor. The Pilot program of the Academy just launched this month. Sherri anticipates a full class when the program officially opens in September 2016.   The Academy will have a worldwide databank of future instructors spreading the message of health. “We are excited to have a student in our pilot program joining us all the way from New Zealand!” said Sherri.

According to Sherri, “Healthy starts in the kitchen.” In fact, this is a tagline for the Academy.

Despite starting off as a 1-on-1 business all these years, Sherri now only focuses on classes and running the Academy. Most clients are referred to her associate Barbara Nicholson, a Certified Natural Health Practitioner (www.herbsofthefield.net). Both Barbara and Sherri emphasize plant-based recipes and have seen their clients enjoy overall better health by incorporating delicious healthy foods without feeling like they are missing out or are in deprivation.

Sherri also gives back to the community. She runs a women’s group at her church and offers one hardship scholarship per course to a candidate that is unable to pay for the program.   Sherri said, “For whatever reason if a woman has fallen on hard times, I want them to know that there is always hope”

If you are interested in the Wellness Cooking Academy, visit Sherri online at www.cookinyogi.com or www.WellnessCookingAcademy.com

Sherri Mraz , founder of  The Cookin’ Yogi and Wellness Cooking Academy

Located in Bootz Cultural Arts Center

420 S. State Road 7, Suite 118

Royal Palm Beach, FL 33414

Office: 561-791-6455

Cell: (561) 254-4949

Email: sherri@cookinyogi.com