About Us
French-trained professional chef Victoria Cortes spent 12 years cooking in the kitchens of professional athletes, a national television anchor, and dozens of busy families. In 2022 Chef Victoria expanded her operation to a licensed commercial kitchen in Arlington, Virginia where she makes it easy for people to stock their refrigerators with nutrient-dense prepared meals.
My Story
Where It All Began
After graduating cum laude from a liberal arts college (click here) in Pennsylvania, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and French, Victoria worked for 5 years in documentary film at the National Geographic Channel in Washington, D.C.
Enamored of the amazing food she experienced during the year she studied in France, Victoria decided to pursue a degree in the culinary arts at a French culinary school.
Since graduating with honors from the Professional Culinary Arts Program at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Victoria has honed her skills in all kinds of kitchen operations- from fine dining, catering, and prepared foods to the set of the television cooking show, Emeril Green (featuring Chef Emeril Lagasse).
“Chef Victoria Cortes was instrumental in helping us follow an anti-inflammatory diet for optimal nutrition and performance… She inspired us to love more vegetables than before, and we never felt like we were eating a restricted diet.”
-NFL Quarterback Kirk Cousins & his Wife Julie
News
After 12 years of cooking for clients in their homes, Victoria transferred her operation to a certified, licensed commercial kitchen in Arlington, VA.
Mission
The mission for Victoria Cortes Personal Chef Service remains the same: make it easy for her clients to have a refrigerator full of highly nutritious prepared foods.
New Goal
By expanding her business into a commercial kitchen, Victoria’s goal is to make anti-inflammatory meal plans available to more people.
Anti-Inflammatory Diets
Victoria gained extensive experience with anti-inflammatory diets while working with professional athletes who tracked their food sensitivities. On a weekly basis, Victoria would create custom menus for her athlete clients based on the foods they needed to avoid.
Victoria is well-versed with these anti-inflammatory diets: the autoimmune protocol (AIP), Whole30 and the Paleo diet.
AIP
In 2022 Victoria completed a comprehensive 6-week course on the subject of the Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP), which was created by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD (Medical Biophysics). Victoria was fascinated to learn that nutrient deficiencies are one of the reasons that people develop auto-immune conditions. Victoria learned that not only is it important to avoid certain foods in order to reduce inflammation, but that it’s important to focus on including foods with nutrient density in the diet.
Food as Medicine
Victoria is convinced of the healing power of food and her delicious and nutritious preparations have proved helpful in reducing inflammation in the body and fighting many ailments. When it comes to healthy food, Victoria does not believe in shortcuts- she prepares slow-simmered bone broths and adjusts standard recipes in order to incorporate more wholesome ingredients.
Victoria is a Certified Food Safety Manager with the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals and Victoria Cortes Personal Chef Service is licensed, bonded, and insured. Victoria resides in Falls Church City with her family and she lives for slow mornings when she can savor coffee at home and take long walks with her miniature schnauzer. Outside is where you’ll usually find Victoria: tent-camping on Assateague Island, hiking in California, and tending to her kitchen garden and Mammoth sunflowers.
