Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Anne Morris.
Hi Mary Anne, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was a homeschool mom for 21 years. We traveled a lot due to my husband’s 23 years in the Air Force. In 2005 I began searching for a solution for my chronic health issues such as digestive, immune, and endocrine health; and I found my answer in food. I discovered that much of my health issues, including skin issues, were a result of my diet, which stemmed from my dad’s dislike of vegetables and love for fried, salty and sweet food, Shortly after seeing improvements after detoxing myself and turning to better choices, I learned from a cooking instructor that how I cooked my food was equally important.
I began sharing the cooking instructor with neighbors and friends so he could share this important insight. In fact, when he cooked for my parents, my dad went for seconds on all the veggies without adding salt, and insisted my mom begin using that cooking system. After 5 months of sharing that cooking instructor with others, so many of those expressed their gratitude to me for sharing his knowledge with them. I began seeing it as a ministry disguised as a business, and made a decision to train under him.
Eight months later, my then civilian husband lost his full time job, so I was thankful that my passion for teaching and providing solutions to others provided for our family. My husband decided to fully support my business and became my office management so I could focus on teaching in the field. We rented a small office space and a local kitchen to do classes for a few years. In 2013, we purchased a new built shell and designed & finished it out ourselves so we would have our own permanent space in which to teach, cook and train. During COVID and all the lock downs, I learned how to transition and think outside the box by doing virtual cooking sessions via zoom. Though they weren’t able to taste or feel the difference of the food itself by cooking differently as in our live cooking experience, but the science and info taught was impactful enough to gain more customers.
A couple years after COVID, I decided to get certified as a Certified Nutrition Instructor so that I could also offer group nutrition classes on various areas of health concerns. I now offer those, both at our office and at venues of choice by whoever is hosting a particular class, as well as my private healthy cooking experience to share the science and reality of how to properly prepare and cook food which includes 3rd party medical research. I also offer office Lunch & Learns, and we provide a monthly fun 5-minute recipe night. We were blessed to pay off our building April 1 2025, and our home mortgage back in 2011 simply by sharing my passion; but the best part is what got me started…And that is ongoing testimonies of health improvement. We now have the ability to do local in-person sessions, and share virtually with family & friends who are across the country.
We do not advertise, so we rely on word of mouth, and are privileged to work with local holistic practitioners through the years to include, functional wellness practitioners, integrative pediatricians, naturopaths, & chiropractors, The areas of improvement include digestive issues, auto-immune disease, diabetes, inflammation, cancer, heart disease, weight, ADHD, Autism, even picky eaters! We focus on the gut-brain health connection, immune health, and dietary disease. My goal is to help our Texas families to prefer prevention over treatment. This is why our name is HealThy Cooking – healing from the inside out.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No. Running your own business involves learning how to balance all that goes into making it a success, while also balancing family and personal time. I think the most challenging thing when working with people, is that sometimes we care about the people more than they do about themselves. At times, it can be so discouraging that you begin to wonder whether it’s worth continuing to put forth all the effort. It’s during those times that I press through, regardless of how I feel. I believe knowing your “Why” is what keeps you going. Knowing it’s for a purpose beyond myself is what helps me. The same was true during my homeschooling years.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Before running my own HealThy Cooking business for nearly 20 years, I homeschooled our 3 children which provided stability during our 23 years of Air Force travels. I was brought up in the Air Force and didn’t want our kids to have the frustration of all the school changing. I had wanted to be a teacher since kindergarten due to the wonderful teachers I had, but never dreamed it would be realized through home schooling!
Prior to having our 1st child and choosing to be a stay at home mom, I served as Secretary to the Mayor of North Charleston, South Carolina. I was offered to be promoted to his Assistant Manager, which I turned down knowing my priority was to be a full-time mom. I began doing secretarial work during my high school years at an AF base in Germany, where I met my husband. I was honored to be chosen to serve the Wing Commander whenever his secretary was away.
Upon graduation in Germany, I began working as a civil service secretary and got promoted to G4 before my return stateside to get married. I was offered to continue by working at the Pentagon or a patent law secretary for Phillips Petroleum in Washington DC. I chose the latter, and they offered me a promotion and transferred me to their Denver office so I could join my husband while he cross-trained in the Air Force. Our next assignment is where I had my last position as the mayor’s secretary.
While being a secretary doesn’t sound like much, I took great pride in the fact that it means “to be a keeper of secrets.” In order to do so, you must have integrity and be fully trustworthy. As a secretary, I had to skillfully be the mediator between the Mayor and everyone who wanted his ear, make sure he was on track with a demanding schedule, and keep things running while he was attending mayoral conventions and other business away from the office. I also learned the value of serving the public well regardless of how I felt or my day was going.
I’m told that what sets me apart is that I’m true to my convictions and passionate about what I believe in without compromising a gentle spirit. I know that I’m very mindful that whatever I do or say, in public or in private, is to be pleasing to God and about serving the needs of others rather than putting my own needs first. I’m a huge believer in believing the best in others and asking questions to understand before assuming anything. I value relationships more than merely doing business with people.
I think I’m most proud of the fact that our three children have grown up to be wonderful adults who demonstrate high charachter standards and show a great sense of responsibility to their family and community. Two of them have made us the proud grandparents of 11 grandkids (4 adopted from Ukraine). Our youngest bought his own home at age 25 through hard work and responsible saving,
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I’d have to say the moment, at 10 years old, I was able to run up to my daddy on the tarmack upon his return from being gone one year during the Vietnam war. All the daily dread of nightly news reporting on American deaths, the deep concerns I had as to whether one of them was my dad, and the nightly childhood prayers pleading God to keep him safe, came rushing out in a sobbing stream of tears the moment I reached him and he picked me up for a hug I’ll never forget.
Pricing:
- $10 pp for group nutrition classes
- $25 pp for corporate health events
- Free for Healthy Cooking Experience
- Free Lunch & Learns
- $10 Five-Minute Recipe Nights
Contact Info:
- Website: www.healthycookingoftexas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthy_cooking_of_texas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthycookingoftexas/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@healthycookingoftexas4670
Image Credits
Food Saved Me Institute Healthy Cooking of Texas
