You Aren’t What You Eat.  

IT STARTED WITH AN IDENTITY CRISIS.

Not really. But kind of! I’m Katie and I’m the founder of Cake & Kale. For the last decade, besides my adorable cats & pup, I’ve had two obsessions: holistic nutrition, and baking. I worked for a natural food retailer by day and baked glutenous, dairy-filled, sugary cakes by night. People said I was crazy. You have to choose, they said! You’re living a lie!*

(*They never said this. But it makes the story better so let me have this one!)

Truth was, for a long time I believed you had to choose one: a healthy life, or an unhealthy life. I spent all my time obsessing about if a food was “good” or “bad” and what it would do to me if I ate it. I felt like a fraud having my green smoothies in the morning and eating leftover cake batter at night. But one day, it all changed.

You CAN have your cake and eat your kale, too.

Flash forward and now I know food isn’t “good” or “bad”—food is food. We eat it because we need it, because it’s delicious, and because it brings us joy. And guess what? You can eat “healthy” food and “unhealthy” food and still survive! GASP! So, I realized the charade was over. The diet industry was lying to me. I could become a holistic nutritionist and still make delicious cakes for people. Because you know what?

You don’t have to choose one or the other.

I didn’t always know this.

Growing up, I was never really into food. I liked what I liked: pita bread with honey, chicken fingers and fries, and baked goods—LOTS of baked goods. My mom made the best chocolate chip cookies and my dad had a hand for designing the most artistic cakes. I always had a sweet tooth, but it wasn’t until I hit university that I actually started baking things on my own. It started as a stress-reliever: I would procrastinate finishing that English essay at 3 a.m. by making a batch of oh-my-god-how-much-chocolate-can-I-fit-in-here cookies. I slowly became the friend who always brought dessert to BBQs, made birthday cakes, and had a plate of brownies ready to devour.

Around the same time, I got a job working in Marketing at a natural health retailer and dove into the world of nutrition head-first. I started eating things like kale and avocados and my food boundaries broadened. Not long after, I became a bit obsessed with it—worrying over every morsel of food I ate, making sure it was organic or gluten-free or healthy for me. I let food define who I was. It was a long time—over a decade later—before I realized: you aren’t what you eat.

NOW, I’M IN LOVE WITH FOOD.

And baking. And, still, cats (and dogs). I’ve finally come to realize that you can eat foods that make you feel good—both “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods. They don’t define you. They don’t make you a “good” or “bad” person. You can’t “cheat” on food. You eat food. It’s nourishment, it’s fuel, and it’s supposed to be a source of joy. You can eat salads and smoothies and also love (guilt-free) cakes and cookies full of sugar and gluten. You can do both.

You can have your cake and eat your kale, too.

I still bake—more than ever, actually. Since 2013 I’ve been baking professionally, everything from birthday cakes to wedding cakes to truffles for local restaurants and so much more. It’s still a stress-reliever for me, but it’s also therapeutic, calming, and so much fun. Besides, everyone loves the girl who brings cake to a party, right? (My need-for-approval self is picturing you nodding.) If you’re interested in working with me for an upcoming event, fill out my cake inquiry form here.

I also still work in the natural food industry, and I love it. I truly do believe that food can do amazing things for your health, but it’s not the whole story. I still eat healthy for my body, but what that menu looks like has changed multiple times in the last ten years. I’m also in school to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist so that I can start helping people let go of their food obsession and fall in love with eating again. And I can’t wait to work with you!

So, how can I help you?

If you’re in the market for a cake or other baking for a wedding, birthday, celebration, or just because you need a cake (sometimes Monday’s are hard), check out my gallery, testimonials, and contact me for a quote.

If you want to work with me as a nutritionist, I would love to work with you, too! Until I’m qualified to give registered advice, I’m working on some blog content and recipes to tide you over—and it’s coming soon, I promise.

If you want to just hang out, drink wine or kombucha and snuggle with my awesome cats… well, we might just be soulmates. Find me on my Instagram (@katielmitts), or shoot me an email (katie@cakeandkale.ca).

Til then, happy cake & kaleing!

 
Clinks to new friends!

Clinks to new friends!

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT Me

  • I have three animals: Butters, Peanut, and Hugo

  • I’ve never eaten a Big Mac

  • I fall in love with TV characters like they’re my best friends

  • I love being by the water

  • I haven’t seen any movies. Seriously, name one.

  • If you don’t like Harry Potter, we can’t be friends.

STICK AROUND FOR A WHILE!

Me & the Hubs

Me & the Hubs