I am Geneviève, a Québécoise living in British-Columbia since 1998 and this is Le Petit Chou, a place to create and  share my knowledge of the healing properties of foods and seeing my passion passed along.

I grew up in the Eastern countryside of Québec surrounded by maple trees and vegetable gardens. At an early age I was introduced to foraging wild plants and harvesting fruits and vegetables from our land. Through this experience my passion for plant and food was born. Many hours of my youth were spent in the kitchen – watching, learning, and helping in the transformation of vegetables and fruits gathered around my house into delicious and nourishing dishes and preserves.

In different capacities, much of my life has been spent around food: I worked as a cook in several kitchens and was a server in fine dining, gourmet and traditional restaurants. In my early twenties, while travelling around Europe, I became more deeply interested in traditional foods. Exploring the markets of Barcelona, Rome, Florence and Tanger I found new flavours and was particularly impressed how everyone seemed to preserve foods and eat following the seasons.

The medicinal properties of produce, plants and herbs was especially interesting to me and I was fascinated by varying cultural approaches to these healing foods.  Following my interests and natural curiosity, I studied the principles of Asian medicine at the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Vancouver. I also trained in herbal medicine at l’Herbothèque Quebec, Institute of Research and Education in Herbology and Natural Health,and hold a Traditional Herbalist Diploma. I went on to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (R.H.N.), graduating from The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and created Le Petit Chou, a nutrition counseling business.

I also write chronicles on nutrition and health and create recipes. My latest work can be found at http://ethicaldeal.com/blog/tag/genevieve‐blanchet/ , http://www.jovialfoods.com/blog/, http://appleboost.com/category/articles , olivesmarketwhistler.com and http://thewellnessalmanac.com/.

I am a mother of two lively girls, a holistic nutritionist, an artisan jam and marmalade maker at Le Meadow’s Pantry, and a lover of fruit trees, nature and gardens.  I am passionate about eating fresh, seasonal and nutrient-rich food.  I combine western whole foods with an eastern philosophy and I would like to share what I’ve learned with you.

I love comments and feedback so don’t hesitate to contact me at genevieveblanchet @ hotmail (dot)com .