“Food Network’s Chopped Champion” Chefleen is Spreading Her Love for Food

The Specialty Food Association has been around since 1952, and they take their food news seriously. It turns out Walmart takes their beef seriously, as they’ve just announced they’re trying to reach more sustainability with their beef supply chain. Speaking of food, the entire industry changed dramatically with the introduction of ongoing and popular cooking shows. Sure, there was Julia Child years ago, but today cooking shows have entire networks dedicated to them.

When it comes to cooking shows, Kathleen, otherwise known as Chefleen, not only participated in a cooking competition show but also won it. Kathleen is a Food Network’s Chopped Champion. Prior, she attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. She went on to inspire those who watched her rise to cooking celebrities. Then she went to work for celebrities, acclaimed restaurants, and even America’s Test Kitchen. She’s been featured in the New York Times and feels blessed to live the life she’s been leading, doing something she loves.

Kathleen says three parts combine to create Chefleen. First, food is a community, and she loves to create memorable events centered around food. Secondly, she loves teaching and sharing her love and appreciation of food. Lastly, she feels her professional skills in sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge surrounding food come out in her passion and reflects who she is.

While her path started in person, COVID created a fork in the road. She now shares her love of food virtually. She adores the opportunity to help people grow more confident in the kitchen. It came as a great surprise at how much the change continues to inspire her.

According to Food Business News, The US Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 12 established requirements for gluten-free labeling. Speaking of breaking news, there’s not been enough diversity in the cooking show industry, and Chefleen wanted to put herself out there as a resource. She says, “Real Life Cooking is on Instagram and Facebook, and is a free cook-along class where you learn to make a meal from start to finish in under 60 minutes.” On her website, you can learn about Chefleen’s Virtual Kitchen, where she teaches public cooking classes. She even offers private party cooking classes. The best part is you simply choose the menu you want to work, then sign up on her site.

She intends to spread her love of cooking and reach as many people as possible to help them enhance and upgrade their cooking experience.

You never know where the road is heading. You may think you know, but situations like COVID can change your road in a moment. In Kathleen’s case, it ended up being an unexpected benefit and opportunity to build a new way of doing business and give her a new bout of inspiration.

Her biggest challenges can be found in infinite details, as she tends to focus on the bigger picture. She’s found ways to work around this and prioritizes these moments. Another challenge she’s come across is self-worth. Financial priorities can collide when you undercharge for your skills, even though you should charge more. She’s struggled with finding the right balance.

Expect Chefleen to become a household name. With a driven passion for spreading her love of food, there will be no slowing her down. She’ll expand her media appearances, while still being accessible for those who need it with cooking classes online.

With her ability to be flexible and adjust to the changing times, she takes control of her destiny and moves forward despite the challenges of a pandemic.