Not many 26-year-olds can say they run their dream foodie business from all around the world, picking up recipe ideas in various exotic locations, with a stopover studying at one of the best cooking schools in London.
But it’s a reality for Kiwi social media sensation Kelsi Boocock, known to her fans as “Healthy Kelsi”, who has been travelling the globe as a celebrity chef for the past few years.
After her profile blew up online during the first COVID lockdown thanks to her easy plant-based recipes, the Aucklander has amassed nearly 400,000 followers, launched a protein powder business and wellness app, and published two cookbooks. But what tops the list of recent highlights was her engagement to her partner of nine years, Andrew Trembath, 26, who proposed in Bali in May.
“In the last year, we did about three months’ travel, four months living in London and another three travelling, before coming home in October,” says Kelsi, who released her cookbook Healthy Kelsi Travel Kitchen in December. “It has been hectic.
“I always thought Andrew would choose Bali to propose because I grew up visiting Indonesia and it’s where I learnt to surf. It’s also the reason nasi goreng has been massive in my family forever!”
But when it came to the trip, Andrew tricked her. Laughs Kelsi, “At the airport, I was reading wedding magazines and he said, ‘You need to tell me what rings you like so I can get the right one.’ Obviously, I didn’t think a proposal would be happening on this trip.”
Loved-up Kelsi is living her dream!
However, during their stay at Komune Resort at Keramas Beach, Andrew suggested they go for a walk at sunset. He nervously began talking about their future together, then he got down on one knee and proposed with a beautiful custom-made sapphire ring.
Naturally, Kelsi said yes. “Andrew’s outgoing, funny and very likeable,” smiles the bride-to-be, who met him as a teen when they both represented Aotearoa at the Surf Lifesaving World Championships in France. “He gets along with everyone, and he and my dad are best friends, which is cute.
“He’s a big part of Second Nature, the protein powder brand I launched last October, which helps because we’re good at different things. I’m the more creative and marketing side, and he’s good with numbers and logistics.”
The pair certainly work well together. When Andrew wanted to move to the UK last year for construction work, Kelsi googled “best cooking schools in the world” and Le Cordon Bleu popped up. She saw that the world-class school had just started a four-month plant-based programme in London. Excited, she enrolled.
“The people on my course were amazing,” she enthuses. “I learnt so much and I made such good friends from all over the world.”
Now Kelsi is excited to share her travel-based cookbook, which features more than 110 recipes inspired by different countries. One of her favourite creations is a “pretty pink pasta” made with blended beetroots.
Andrew’s Bali proposal swept Kelsi off her feet.
“As a kid, I didn’t like beetroot, but Mum would tell me it was pink carrot and then I’d be OK with it,” recalls Kelsi, who has two brothers. “She focused on feeding us really well but with tasty food, which was quite ahead of the game. Mum took us to the little funky organic stores and always made fresh food for after school, like sweet potato brownies.”
Reflecting on her online fame, Kelsi realises her food blogging journey came at the perfect time, since she’d just given up competitive swimming and wasn’t sure what to do. She spent three months teaching at Camp America and living off processed food. Then she started focusing on creating healthy meals to heal her gut.
“Eating healthily clearly makes a big difference for my body and since I’ve never liked the taste of meat, I decided to go plant-based,” says the bubbly entrepreneur, who began sharing her meals on Instagram. “All I wanted was to get 10,000 followers and then it jumped so quickly! By the end of lockdown, I’d written my first eBook, Healthy Kelsi.”
After Kelsi landed a deal with a publisher and the best- seller was printed in paper-back, she began planning a follow-up cookbook, which she completed on her travels.
“I’ve spent the last few years seeing places, adventuring, studying, and learning tips from local chefs and street food vendors,” explains Kelsi, who plans to return to the resort where Andrew proposed to run a health retreat. “There was lots of fun and lots of epic food. I’ve definitely been indulging my passion!”
