Chef Patty "Sassy" Knutson grew up in your typical American household where her mother did all the cooking for their family of six. "I honestly don't know how she managed. She would work full time, and then come home to prepare these fantastic meals in no time at all. She made it look so easy!" Needless to say, when Sassy left the nest, her cooking skills were lacking. "I burnt just about everything I made," she recounts with a giggle.

Sassy's chosen career as a court reporter left her little time to learn any culinary ins and outs. But after several years, she began to have problems with her wrists. "I would be furiously typing to get a transcript in by deadline and my arms would go completely numb from my fingers all the way up to my shoulders. It was terrifying." Shortly thereafter, Sassy left the legal field. "I was free to pursue absolutely anything I wanted to, but I had not a clue what that should be."

Sassy met her husband Jeff and within a short amount of time had relocated to Sacramento, California. "This was a pivotal time for Jeff and I. It exposed us to the idea of vegetarianism, which we embraced rather quickly and passionately." However, there was one small challenge: They didn't have a clue what to eat! "I wasn't satisfied with simply going out to a restaurant and ordering the steak and salad 'but hold the steak'. It had to be more exciting than that! But there wasn't anybody who could show me the ropes and teach me how to cook vegetarian meals. So I purchased all the vegetarian cookbooks I could get my hands on and our kitchen laboratory was open." With Jeff, her trusty taste tester by her side, she finally learned what she needed to know about how to make a delicious (and nutritious) vegetarian meal. "It has been over a decade now, and I still find cooking to be challenging and exciting. My all-time favorite foodie thing to do is to convert a regular meat/dairy dish to totally vegetarian. It's very satisfying."

Sassy decided to merge her love of cooking with her entrepreneurial spirit.Then one day, while surfing the net, she discovered Personal Chefs Network. "I decided that it was of utmost importance to join with a professional network. And I am so happy I did. PCN has been pivotal in the success of my business." Sassy's chef service Whirled Peas (a play on the words World Peace) caters to professional singles and couples whose careers don't allow them the time to prepare healthy meals for themselves. "Surprisingly, none of my clients are vegetarian. My clients are simply busy people who love great food. It's a match made in heaven," says Sassy.

Never one to sit still, Sassy will soon be adding Nutrition Coaching to her thriving business, having just completed a course through Global College of Natural Medicine. She enjoys writing, publishes a quarterly newsletter for Whirled Peas, has put the finishing touches on her 2nd cookbook, and was featured in the most recent issue of "Connect" Magazine.

In her free time, Sassy likes to spend every moment with her loving hubby and best friend Jeff, a pianist and entertainer. They love to travel and laugh, and enjoy spending time with their extended family, their ever-growing base of friends. "We love having friends over for dinner. Cooking for others, I feel, is the ultimate expression of love."

Contact Chef Sassy:
775-224-0929
www.whirledpeas.com