Ricki Heller, PhD, RHN
Nutrition and Culinary Arts:
- Owner, Bake it Healthy. Organic, healthy, natural baked goods sold in retail outlets and through individual catering orders (2005-2008).
- Owner and instructor, Ricki’s Kitchen Cooking Classes, Toronto area. Develop themes, recipes, and organize private, hands-on cooking classes for small groups (2004-2008).
- Whole Foods Chef and Educator, Toronto area. Teach cooking classes, demo recipes, and conduct talks about nutrition to live audiences and on television. Clients include Loblaws/Real Canadian SuperStore Cooking Classes; Great Cooks on Eight; Oasis Health Institute; Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair, Women’s Health Matters Forum and Expo; Dell Computers; Body Design Health/Nutrition Centre. Television appearances on CTV’s Canada AM; CityTV’s Breakfast Television; ACI TV Network (Jill Hewlett), Rogers Television (daytime, York Region Living and In the Know). (2005-present).
- Ricki’s Kitchen: Vegan Sweets and Healthy Treats, Toronto area. Developed recipes, baked, and sold pre-packaged, healthy baked goods to clients (2005); developed recipes and baked vegetarian and vegan desserts for Hey Good Cooking vegetarian restaurant (Toronto) (2003-2005).
Freelance Writing:
- Author, Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar (2009). Canadian bestseller; received Honorable Mention in the 2010 Cuisine Canada Culinary Awards and one of only three cookbooks recommended on Ellen DeGeneres’ website.
- Articles and recipes have appeared in Canadian Living Magazine, Tonic Toronto, Clean Eating Magazine, CrazySexyLife.com, The Globe and Mail, The Montreal Gazette, The Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel, AllergicLiving.com, VegFamily.com, Human Spirit magazine, The Niagara Current, Stitches magazine, MochaSofa.com and others; wrote a regular column, “Healthy Food for Thought,” for Easy Lifestyles. Write and maintain a food blog, Diet, Dessert and Dogs.
- Author of a college textbook, Respond in Writing (Thomson Nelson, 2002).
- Conceived, wrote, produced and promoted a bi-monthly newsletter on organic and natural foods (1999-2000).
Teaching and Facilitating:
- Practicum Instructor, Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Richmond Hill and Toronto branches. Topics include Alternatives to Wheat, Dairy and Sugar; Natural Sweeteners; and Building a Whole Foods Kitchen (2005-2007).
- Professor, Seneca College, Toronto. Researched, developed and teach more than 12 different courses, including Body and Nutrition, Introduction to Alternative Medicine, Feeding Body and Soul (sociology of food), Food for Thought (Literature of Food), Introduction to Psychology, Illness and Health in Modern Writing, College English and others. (current)
- Freelance Workshop Facilitator. Designed and delivered workshops in Basic Communication Techniques, Effective Listening Techniques, Identifying and Presenting Skills in a Résumé and others. Clients included Ontario Government Employees’ Counselling Services, Weston Bakeries, Bayview Community Hospice, New Directions (Women in Transition), and Morning Star Secondary School (1995-1997).
- Instructor, English and Liberal Arts, Ontario College of Art, Toronto. Taught Basic Writing; researched, organized, and helped develop the college’s first Writing Centre. (1993-1996).
Education:
- Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, 2004 (summa cum laude; Valedictorian).
- PhD English (American Literature), University of Toronto (magna cum laude).
- MA English, University of Windsor (summa cum laude).
- BA Honours English, University of Windsor (summa cum laude).
