In late 2010, Catherine (Cat) Ruehle was at the peak of her career. A regular on The Food Network Challenge, with a book and TV projects in the works, a thriving bakery, employees counting on her, and the major breadwinner of her family, she became ill with rheumatoid arthritis. The painful and crippling autoimmune disease threatened to end her culinary career. Ruehle closed Sublime Bakery, her highly successful business in Fort Worth. Everything in her life at that time was crumbling. Ruehle told Fort Worth, Texas magazine in an Up Close feature in the fall of 2014: "Back then, people looked at me like I had it all, and I guess, in a way, I thought I did. For a long time, everything that was written in the press made it seem like my life was perfect. I don't want people to just see the good stuff. I want them to see the adversity, and I've been through a lot of adversity."
On a warm afternoon in January this year, we met with Ruehle in her small, inviting kitchen on the west side of Fort Worth. As you will read, much has changed in her life-all for the better.
Q. Cat, thank you for visiting with us today.Thank you so much for letting me tell my story.
Q. Let's begin with what has happened in your life since the last time we spoke about the incredible success of your cookbook, Let's All Eat Cake?Wow, big question. So much has changed. If I were to sum up the changes since my book launched, I'd say that my life has opened up. And I have opened up too, in my heart, my spirit, my relationships. I feel like I've entered a new phase of my personal evolution.
Q. That's a profound response. How did it happen?It's a little bit hard to explain how it all happened, but in August 2014, just before my book launched the following month, I traveled to Kenya with my mother and son for safari, and that trip changed me. It changed how I looked at life and relationships. I could literally feel myself expanding and opening up while I was there. I experienced serenity for the first time in years. It was truly magical, and I didn't want to leave Africa. In fact, my son and I were trying to contrive an excuse to stay permanently, but I eventually concluded that my publisher would kill me if I didn't return to promote my book, so we came home.
Q. Can we talk a little bit about the dark years, Cat?Sure. I had closed myself off in the previous few years because I'd experienced so much turmoil and pain. I had lost my health, my bakery, my home, my marriage, my father. It was all too much, and I had shut down a big part of myself to cope with it all. My life had become very small, rigid and carefully controlled. My experience in Kenya was a wake-up and a shake-up.
The book came out just a few weeks after I returned from Kenya, and immediately upon my return to the U.S., I was caught up in a whirlwind for a while with book signings, TV spots, a QVC appearance. It was all good stuff, but it wore me out and was a stark contrast to my experience in Kenya. Once things settled down toward the end of the year, I made a vow that 2015 would be my year of opening up, expanding my life, letting go of the rules I had created for myself, meeting new people, trying new things with my business. I even decided that I would consider dating.
This decision to open up was powerful. In an effort to recreate the serenity I had experienced in Kenya, I reconnected with my higher power and started a daily spiritual practice, daily meditation and practiced gratitude. Things started to change. My business expanded with new clients and opportunities. I was busier than ever, counseling one-on-one wellness clients, cooking for multiple families, and writing for national magazines.
On a personal level, I met the love of my life, a wonderful man who is supportive and loving in a way I had never experienced. And he challenges me in a good way. I can honestly say that I've become a better person since meeting Jeremy.
Q. You are a single mom. How did this journey affect your son? My son has grown tremendously too. He's still a happy, healthy, well-adjusted teenager who actually likes his mom and still holds hands with me. Hallelujah! Cade's life has opened up too. He's reconnected with his father after a 14-year absence and now has a second family in Georgia who adores him and showers him with love. It's been such a positive development for him. Magical things happen when you open up. Thanks, God.
Q. How have you dealt with your rheumatoid arthritis? You told us in 2014 that you chose a diet change rather than taking prescription drugs.Yes, I did. I started being more gentle with myself, allowing myself to break the rules I had created to protect myself. Those rules had served their purpose and had become limiting. I also experimented with the diet I had created to control my rheumatoid arthritis, allowing myself more freedom, and decided to consume animal foods again. This was a big leap for me. I had known for some time that my body wasn't doing well on a vegan or vegetarian diet, but I was in tremendous moral conflict about changing. I spent a good deal of time in meditation and prayer and finally let it go, changed my diet, and found that my health improved dramatically.
Q. So, you've changed your views about the benefits of a vegan diet? Let me be clear, I'm not pooh-poohing a vegan diet. Some people thrive on it, but I did not. We're all unique biological beings. This is something I teach my clients when we work together in a one-on-one wellness program. There is no one diet and lifestyle that works for everyone. My role as health coach and holistic nutritionist is to help my clients find what works for them so that they can achieve their goals, improve their health, and overcome any chronic issues they may have, like rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune diseases.
Q. Tell us about your exciting new book. This new approach to my RA diet led me to write another cookbook, The RA DIET Cookbook, coming out this spring, and to launch a new business through A Well-Nourished Life, Healing Bone Broth Delivery Service.
The cookbook features more than 100 of my favorite, simple-to-make recipes for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Autoimmunity, all free of gluten, corn, dairy, sugar, nightshades, eggs, soy and grains. This is a real passion project, and I can't wait to get it to readers. I've included a prep-day list and guidelines for preparing a week's worth of food in a single afternoon, as well as a three-day Raw Food Reset Cleanse to kick-start, or restart your healing efforts.
Q. Cat, that is exciting, but you are equally excited about your bone broth business, are you not? Tell us about the benefits.Yes, Healing Bone Broth has been such an unexpected blessing. I had long been aware of the healing benefits of bone broth prepared by traditional methods but had not tried it myself because of my refusal to consume animal foods. I decided to give it a go and was amazed by how quickly I noticed improvement in my skin and joints. Bone broth has been considered a healing food since ancient times, but it's only recently become trendy. The slow-simmered broth contains minerals like calcium, zinc and magnesium, to name a few, as well as glucosamine, chondroitin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid. Traditionally prepared broth delivers these healing compounds in a highly digestible and absorbable form.
Q. What are the noticeable health benefits? The health benefits are many, but my clients and I have seen the most improvement in arthritis, digestive health, and skin health, including reduced cellulite and increased skin elasticity.
Consuming bone broth on a daily basis is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your health. It's beneficial for all, but folks with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gut issues, food intolerances, thyroid conditions, and other autoimmune conditions can benefit most greatly from drinking bone broth daily. Research supports claims that slow-simmered broth reduces inflammation, boosts the immune system, and heals the lining of the gut which can be damaged by taking medications, consuming allergenic foods, chronic stress, and eating processed junky foods.
Q. Why did you decide to make bone broth a business?This business really found me, not the other way around. I studied bone broth several years ago while I was doing my nutrition studies, and it had come to my notice again as I was following wellness trends in New York and Los Angeles. Bone broth hit the mainstream last year, and lots of chefs were starting businesses and delivery services. I started using the broth myself, no plans for a business, and simply posted a photo on my social media one day, as I often do, talking about the broth I was drinking and how much I loved it and the health benefits. I do this all the time, no big deal, no plans for a bone broth empire. That's what my son calls it. And my email and social accounts just blew up with people all over the country wanting to buy my broth. I was stunned. It was such a great example of God doing for me what I couldn't do for myself. Bam. Right then and there, I decided to sell the broth locally in a subscription delivery service. I developed the business literally overnight and started taking orders the very next week.
Q. What were the challenges in starting this business, especially in this little kitchen? The biggest problem with developing a business overnight is that you don't have all your systems and procedures in place, so you're basically making it up as you go along. I did the same thing years ago with Sublime Bakery when it took off like gangbusters overnight, so I was familiar with the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants experience and just rolled with it. It has also been challenging to make the broth from the same kitchen I use for other aspects of my business, namely recipe development for magazines and my books, and cooking for clients. There's a lot going on in this small space.
Q. Can you tell us more about the process of making the bone broth and what sets yours apart from what we might buy at a nice food market?Those bones are like gold; they are truly the key to the healing. You can't just use any old factory-produced bones from animals shot full of antibiotics and hormones. I use grass-fed bones from healthy animals only and always organic vegetables. The quality of the ingredients and the lengthy simmer time are what sets our broth apart from the broth or stock that you buy at the store in cans or boxes. That stuff simmers only a few hours and does not contain the compounds that you want for healing purposes. Our broth simmers for 48 hours, no less. In order to get the healing benefits of the broth, you must slow-simmer the bones and ligaments for many hours so that the healing compounds can be released into the liquid.
After simmering, we strain the broth into stainless steel containers to cool in the refrigerator. During cooling, a layer of fat rises to the top and solidifies. Once completely cooled, we remove this layer of fat from the broth and pour the cold broth into our containers. Then it's to the freezer. We deliver our broth frozen to give our clients maximum shelf life. Frozen broth lasts six months; once it's thawed, it's good for five to seven days.
Q. How is your broth distributed? A full subscription of Healing Bone Broth is eight 32-ounce containers per month, enough for one person to drink the recommended 8 ounces per day. Personally, I use the broth medicinally for my arthritis, thyroid disorder, and leaky gut, and consume closer to 24 ounces a day, in two to three portions throughout the day. We also offer a half subscription of four containers. Orders are delivered to the client's door at a mutually agreed upon two-hour window. We also offer office delivery. It's subtly flavored, we don't add a bunch of herbs and seasonings, so the broth is wonderful for use in recipes for soups, or to replace water in cooking things like quinoa, but I like it straight up. I just heat it in a saucepan and pour it into a big coffee mug. I find it very soothing, much like a cup of tea. I've had pre-orders from Greece, Australia, Ukraine and the U.K.
Q. What's next for Chef Cat?Next, I'm developing an online program for people with rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmunity. The program walks through the steps I took, and still take, to heal from RA - detox, elimination diet to identify food triggers, dietary plan and lifestyle changes. It includes webinars and cooking demo videos. I've already begun production, and it will launch in late spring.
Details on the broth:
Full subscription (8 quarts) delivered monthly or every two weeks: $160
Half subscription (4 quarts) delivered monthly: $100
Free delivery to: 76107, 76109, 76132, 76110, 76116. Newly expanded delivery area includes all of Tarrant County, but additional delivery charges apply. As Healing Bone Broth grows in the service in these new areas, plans are to eliminate the delivery charges.
For more information, visit catherineruehle.com
