Photo by Melissa V Photography

Not your typical soul food

To the average American, the words “soul food” conjure up the tastes of home-cooked collard greens, fried chicken and a Monday bowl of red beans and rice. It’s a well-known genre of cuisine, and plenty delicious, but not necessarily the best thing to eat in bulk week after week. That’s why Baton Rouge native Brittany Lynn Kriger decided to give the phrase a new meaning when she embarked on her series of healthy eating workshops, cooking lessons and coaching services called The Soul Food Project.

A graduate of LSU and Southeast Missouri State University with degrees in interior design and musical theater, respectively, Kriger recalls developing an unhealthy lifestyle while living as an actress in New York. Then came some troubling news from back home: her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“She had tests done to see if her cancer was genetic, and it wasn’t,” Kriger says. “But because of this, I became very interested in preventative wellness.”

Soon afterward, with her mother’s cancer in remission, Kriger received her certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the largest nutrition school in the world. She also became a yoga instructor, deeming spiritual and physical alignment to be just as important as culinary balance.

“The mantra of The Soul Food Project is ‘Love the food you eat. Do the things you love. Ditch guilt and regret,’” Kriger says. “Food is just one tiny piece of the puzzle when it comes to health and happiness.”

She even took her own advice and recreated one of her favorite soul foods with her gluten- and soy-free Honey Crumble Cornbread Mix, sold online and at Red Stick Spice Company and MJ’s Café. Those with different tastes can also try out one of Kriger’s other original recipes on her website.

“I’d rather be full of fun, joy and freedom, and it’s my goal to walk with others as they take the journey to find the way they want to feel,” Kriger says.

For more information, visit thesoulfoodprojectla.com.