Franziska Prosser: A pastry chef who became a health chef

Say goodbye to the ‘hangries’

Franziska Prosser

A pastry chef who became a health chef

WHAT DOES A PASTRY CHEF WITH A MASTERS IN PÂTISSERIE AND CONFISERIE (CONFECTIONARY) WHO HAS WORKED IN FIVE-STAR INTERNATIONAL HOTELS AS WELL AS CAFES AND RESTAURANTS DO WHEN THEY REALISE THEY’RE PERSONALLY ADDING TO THE WORLD’S OBESITY AND DIGESTIVE HEALTH ISSUES?

Vienna-trained pastry chef Franziska Prosser’s awakening came eight years ago when she suffered a brain aneurism and, knowing the benefits of healthy eating, changed her diet ... at least while she was recovering. Being a chef, the one requirement for her new healthy diet was that it also had to taste delicious and look appetising.

Franziska studied the science of nutrition rather than relying on fads, and cut out white flour, animal fats, sugars, and ate less meat. In their place came wholegrains, seasonal vegetables, lentils and beans. Surprisingly, it also had a healthy impact on her budget. What she found was that her body felt so much better on a plant-focused diet, so that it became a no-brainer for her to decide to stay on her healthier meals.

‘Fibre is all-important in your diet,’ says Franziska. ‘Vegetables provide fibre that helps in lowering your blood cholesterol. Fibre is also a factor in keeping your weight under control. It stabilises glucose, and builds short-chain fatty acids in the gut to protect against inflammation and reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.’

Franziska, now living on the Central Coast, stopped being a pastry and dessert chef and concentrated on bringing her knowledge of nutritious and appetising foods to her work in planning menus for Brando’s restaurant in which she became a partner (where Cheeky Charlie’s is now). Franziska ran the restaurant for seven years, before heading up Sage café in Erina, followed by Platinum Blu in the Platinum Building in Erina where Quattro Fine Foods now resides.

Franziska’s next career-changing moment came in 2017, a year in which she lost three friends to cancer. She realised it was not enough to serve healthy foods in restaurants. She wanted to help people change the way they ate at home, too. Together with Dr Michelle Reiss at the Life Medical Centre, Franziska developed classes in nutrition. Dr Reiss was able to tell her patients how to eat well but, in her Wamberal-based classes, Franziska was able to show them how to create those meals.

Then came the Covid lockdown and Franziska began selling nutritional food bowls to her students (and ex-students) who became eager customers. Soon, people with busy work lives or those not overly interested in cooking for themselves were also ordering her chef-quality nutritional food bowls. Even athletes who needed to build muscle but didn’t want to do so by eating a lot of animal protein, began buying her meals.

Although the meals are plant-focused, Franziska does not paint herself as a vegan.

‘Vegan diets aren’t necessarily healthy,’ she says. ‘They might still eat white flour, sugars etc. and miss out on the nutritional benefits of whole grains. I like to start a meal plan around plant-based foods – say a pumpkin salad – to which you can add chicken or egg if you so wish.’

The confiserie chef in Franziska hasn’t disappeared entirely. You’ll still find chocolate-coated strawberry treats among her ready-to-eat plant-based meals. ‘Healthy treats are an acceptable part of your diet – in moderation of course – and, after all, chocolate comes from the cocoa plant!’

For information on FoodWorx nutrition coaching and chef cooking classes foodworxcoaching.com.au