Get the skinny on Louisiana food from local author, dietician

At the age of 12, Shelly Marie Redmond created her first awardwinning recipe at a cooking contest. Even though she cringes at her strawberry cracker pie recipe now as a registered dietician, it was this moment that made her decide she wanted to be in the food business.

“I kind of decided right there that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life,” Redmond said. “Which at 12 years old is kind of weird, and this was before Food Network, so it was like people were going to laugh at you.”

But Redmond had her mind set.

She left Houma to pursue a degree in food and nutrition at Nicholls State University. Later, she went to Louisiana Tech University to get her master’s degree. She also received her certification to be a dietician.

“You learn that folks really have a big fear when they meet dieticians,” Redmond said. “They think that we are going to take food away.”

Redmond was born into a family of food. She saw that food brought people happiness. She was never interested in taking food away and wanted her clients to enjoy the recipes that were part of their family’s legacy.

“I took all that knowledge, took the legacy that our state has, the recipes that our state has and started to make them over.”

In 2015, Redmond decided that she didn’t want to be a dietician for other entities anymore. She wanted to create her own brand, and that’s how Skinny Louisiana was born. The brand’s mission is to “focus on Louisiana cooking and living with a skinny twist.” Some time later, a chance encounter at a cooking competition would help Redmond achieve one of her life goals.

As the mom of a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, Redmond was a busy woman. She had been out of the cooking contest world for a while. After receiving an e-mail from the Girl Scouts of Louisiana East, she decided to enter in their contest. At the competition in New Orleans, one of the tasters worked for Pelican Publishing Company. One thing led to another, and the company agreed to publish a “Skinny Louisiana” cookbook.

“Skinny Louisiana … in the Kitchen” is a labor of love. For over two years, Redmond tested out 84 recipes for the cookbook. She had two very special interns taste every recipe. She knew her son and daughter would both be brutally honest.

“Your friends will lie, and your loved ones will lie, but kids … they will not lie.”

Once the recipe was approved by Redmond, her “Yankee” husband, and her son and daughter, she felt confident enough to put it in the cookbook published in February.

The first two chapters teach readers how to make over their own recipes to a healthier standard. It was important for Redmond to include this.

“It’s important because so many of us have those special recipes. I call them legacy recipes because I took recipes that were a legacy to me that my grandparents and great aunts made and made them over. So we still have that love from our aunt, but we upgraded it to 2017 and made it a little healthier.”

Staying health-conscious is necessary at Redmond’s day job, where she counsels patients on meal planning, weight loss, diabetes, family nutrition and wellness.

“We live in unfortunate times where people are seduced by foods that may not be the best for them,” Redmond said. “We are eating too much sugar, too many carbs and too many processed foods. Sometimes it’s just great to go back into the kitchen, and once we do that, we automatically make better choices.”

She hopes her cookbook and the Skinny Louisiana brand help others on their journey to be healthier.

“I get young, and I get old [patients] who are all battling weight. My husband is a physical therapist, and at the office, I see the side effects. People with injuries – struggling with walking and putting their shoes on. Things like that are heartbreaking, but it kind of makes you go, OK, here’s why I’m doing this.”

Her goal is to show that healthy cooking can be done while also keeping traditional Louisiana dishes in the mix.

“Food should always taste good, and it should always be easy. Always look back to your culture and your legacy. That’s where the love comes into it.”

She believes recipes should be shared and regularly makes appearances on local news segments.

“Recipes should always be shared. That’s what folks did back in the day. I’m an old soul. When you share with the community, it also creates trust. The kitchen can be an intimidating place for most people. If you share those simple tips, it’ll make them feel more comfortable.”

In the next three years, Redmond hopes to work on another Skinny Louisiana brand cookbook.

“I got bit by the bug,” she said.

“I’m already thinking about what we’re going to do for cookbook number two. I didn’t realize how much I would love writing it.”

–Jessica Carr – Photo by Stacey Tinsley