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Caroline Artiss: "Joan Of Arc" In The Kitchen & In Life

Rare is it that I fall into a state of absolute ease when interviewing a guest and yet, that is exactly what happened when I interviewed famed Vlogger Caroline Artiss.  I was lulled into a state of calm that compelled me to probe more deeply so as to figure out why, exactly, I was feeling this way.  

Thankfully, Caroline took it in stride and little wonder that she did so as Caroline has lived an incredible life worth sharing. Not much would surprise her at this point, in my opinion. Her’s is a story entrenched in plight, heroism, and, ultimately, triumph -- one that makes you clap at the momentary pauses and wets your appetite for the next few chapters to come.

This entrepreneur and foodie’s Youtube Channel, Caroline Artiss. is a hard won victory for a remarkable woman who remembers growing up in the UK devastatingly poor, hungry and with little to no food to eat let alone, spare. “Our dinners would be made up of slices of bread with sprinkles on them,” said Caroline. This scarcity is the reason Caroline believes she became fascinated with food and cooking.  Her journey to become a culinary master would, ultimately, take a variety of windy roads, burdened with numerous pit stops along the way -- all of which helped to shape the character and resilience of the woman who now stands at the top of her game.

Having found herself at a young age, pregnant, and alone, Caroline put her dreams on hold to care for her daughter. “My years of working my way up the restaurant ladder weren't providing me with a livable wage and, so, I gave it up for the moment and began cleaning houses and catering instead.”  Caroline returned back to the outer restaurant world and industry when her daughter began kindergarten.  Shortly thereafter, however, the crash of the financial markets, once again, caused Caroline’s restaurant days and external cooking education to crash.   

Caroline did not let that stop her, though.  She began home-studying for a nutrition diploma and launched a Youtube channel to share what she had learned about cooking online.  “I blame my friends for doing this as so many of them wanted my recipes that Youtube seemed like a natural remedy.”  This Youtube channel would lead to her being discovered by UK television and then US television, leading to a stint on “Chef Race” (BBC America).  Her Youtube channel would later be picked up by Awesomeness TV, where it remains today -- the solid foundation to a burgeoning professional career that continues to flourish in new and wonderful ways.  

Beyond Vlogging, blogging, writing a book, spearheading an apron business, and mentoring the growth and development of The Gorgeous Kitchen, which was recently named one of the top 35 airport restaurants across the world,  Caroline continues to raise her, now, fifteen year-old daughter on her own while donating any bit of leftover time she has to the Youth Policy Institute (LA).  “I’m doing a video series to help teach underprivileged kids how to eat healthy.  It’s a cause very close to my heart.”  No doubt, in helping to educate and fill the tummies of these children, Caroline is using her own painful memories to ease or eliminate those of others.

“I’m on a mission,” says Caroline, “I want to make a difference in the lives of single moms and low-income families.  I want to help them learn to cook and eat better.  I’m not in the business of giving-up but, rather, of giving-back.”

Needless-to-say, her genuine personality and powerful determination can not be denied. Caroline Artiss is a graceful force of nature that invokes me to think about "Joan of Arc" in thinking about her. Although their tools of the trade and missions are, undeniably, different, I can only imagine their spirits and courage to be equally as great.  

The fact is “in nourishing 'underprivileged' families properly, we nourish a brighter tomorrow for all families.”  

That’s a war worth waging and conquering...for good!  Help Caroline do it by visiting her Youtube Channel here while embarking on the parallel mission of making the holiday cookie recipe she shared with us below!