Chloë-Charlotte Crampton and Her Kitchen Filled With Healing, Heart and Health

British food blogger and private chef Chloë-Charlotte Crampton serves up her fabulous fare for a roster of celebrities and beloved clients. Her fans also follow her website, chloecharlotteskitchen.com, and gorgeous Insta page, @chloeskitchen, to learn all about her recipes, tips and ideas. While her life is glamorous and gorgeous to say the least, she’s also helping others through sharing her journey with breast cancer, especially through her participation in The Fondle Project, a campaign to help encourage women to self-check while learning from those who have experienced breast cancer. 

Originally from London, England, Crampton grew up in the countryside (where Winnie the Pooh was based and written!), and that whimsy and wonder is sprinkled throughout her businesses. Her parents instilled a love and respect for organic, local food, and she learned about naturopathic approaches from a young age, understanding how to combine Western and holistic medicine with equal respect. Now she lives with her husband and dog in Los Angeles, bringing her unique take on food, health, anti-inflammatory practices and fun to her clients and followers alike. Read on to hear more about her business, breast cancer journey and best practices.   

SBS: What was your professional path?

Chloë-Charlotte Crampton: I grew up working in the entertainment industry. I was an actor from a young age, back in London, in theater and TV. I originally was only going to pursue acting, but after many years of working professionally and many near-big breaks, I decided it wasn't the lifestyle for me anymore. So I focused my attention on my second love, cooking. That has always been a secondary creative outlet since I was a child watching my Nonna in the kitchen and learning from her. I started a food blog as a space to keep my own recipes, and I began sharing them. I eventually branched over into the culinary world fully around six years ago. I started working as a private chef to the stars pretty quickly through word-of-mouth and my network within Los Angeles and London.

SBS: What skills/approaches did you take from your acting into your work as a chef?

CCC: Definitely my creativity, ability to think on my feet, and my ability to act calm in situations when I am under pressure. Also, my ability to perform on camera helped me in my world as a food blogger because it came so naturally. 

SBS: What was your journey like becoming a private chef? What's exciting about it? What's challenging about it?

CCC: I started small, cooking in people’s homes for dinner parties and meal-prepping. Then I gained more confidence to work full-time daily in their kitchens, curating menus and creating new recipes for them and their families. I love to feed people; it’s my love language. I would say the most challenging thing is the long hours on your feet, as it is a physically demanding job.

SBS: What's your personal approach to cooking and being a personal chef?

CCC: I am very passionate about organic, sustainable food, local produce and eating a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet. I am heavily influenced by Mediterranean cuisine. My passion for feeding people clean, healthy food comes across strongly to all my clients and my nutritional coaching clients. 

SBS: What has your journey with breast cancer been like?

CCC: Being diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 years old, with no family history or genetic disposition, was a huge shock. I found the lump myself in the shower, and I was proactive in getting to the bottom of what it was, despite being turned away and dismissed by numerous doctors. I followed my gut instinct, and I knew something was wrong. I eventually ended up at Bedford Breast Center in Beverly Hills, where I met Dr. Leslie Memsic. She did my biopsy and diagnosed me with stage-2a, triple negative breast cancer. She performed my lumpectomy surgery a few days later, and then set me on a path for treatment with my oncologist; I navigated IVF to freeze my eggs, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. I feel fortunate to have found it when I did, and that I was an advocate for my own health…or I might not be here today.

SBS: What are your top tips for integrating anti-inflammatory practices into your cooking?

CCC: I made sure to cut out inflammatory foods from my diet immediately, such as processed sugars and meats, refined carbs, dairy and red meat. I focus on including natural sugars, like berries, honey, dates, coconut sugar, almond flour for baking and wholemeal whole grains. I also incorporate green juicing daily, lots of healthy, organic veggies, wild fish, organic white meat (without any hormones or antibiotics), and lots of plant-based recipes that I try to stick to during the week. I adhere to an 80/20 rule, though, because life is still for living and enjoying, or what's the point? So while I don't indulge in processed, sugary foods full of chemicals, I might enjoy some grass-fed cheese and pasta over the weekend.

SBS: What has changed about your approach to cooking since your diagnosis?

CCC: I think I just take extra care to incorporate foods that are high in antioxidants and cancer-fighting nutrients into my diet and my clients’ diets (like mushrooms, broccoli, blueberries, chia and flax seeds). And I also make sure to source the best quality produce for my clients and myself, because health is wealth, and there is nothing more important than what we put into our bodies to nourish them.

SBS: What self-care practices have been most helpful along your journey?

CCC: I started doing acupuncture at the start of my treatment, and it has helped enormously with my side effects, like neuropathy, tinnitus, arthritis, vertigo, acid reflux and bone pain. I also do lymphatic drainage massages to keep my system circulating and moving correctly after having some lymph nodes removed during my surgery. I also went to my Reiki healer on a weekly basis during chemo for an energy tune-up and to keep fighting and powering through it all, which I felt helped me. That’s along with my daily green juicing, supplements and infrared sauna to help my body heal and repair itself post-treatment.

SBS: What have been some challenges, as well as happy surprises, along your journey?

CCC: I think the biggest challenge was being far from home during my treatment, and that my family wasn't allowed into America due to Covid at the time. So it was definitely isolating, even though I was lucky enough to have my husband and his family here, along with great friends, who were so helpful. Nothing is quite the same as your family. I also felt grateful I did my treatment backward: I had my surgery first, where I was declared cancer free with clear margins. That allowed me some time to freeze my eggs with IVF and time to choose an oncologist who worked for me and aligned with my integrative beliefs of combining Western medicine with Eastern medicine. That helped me support myself through my journey, and throw everything at cancer from every angle. 

SBS: How do you manage your business while dealing with such a challenging health experience?

CCC: I am very grateful and lucky that my main client, who I have been cooking for for a while now, was so supportive throughout my journey. They let me take off all the time I needed, and they let me come back to work slowly at my own pace. Owning my own business also allowed me the freedom to create my schedule, so I could work for freelance clients on the days I felt good, and take all the time I needed off when I wasn't ok. 

SBS: What are the most helpful things others can do (or avoid doing) for loved ones dealing with a similar issue?

CCC: I was so lucky to have such a supportive network of friends and family in Los Angeles, who dropped off food and sent helpful gifts for us when needed. The best advice I can give is to not ask if you can help, because people might not feel comfortable asking for what they need. Just show up with dinner from their favorite restaurant or a home-cooked meal. Go walk their dog or pick up their kids from school. Just do whatever you can to help without them having to even ask, as chances are they would feel bad for troubling you with things they actually need.

SBS: What is your favorite recipe currently?

CCC: I’m loving summer-y, bright recipes for this heat, like my bruschetta chicken recipe, or my citrus salmon, which are both recipes on my website. Both are easy-to-make, quick, weeknight dinners that are delicious.

The best, zaniest part of being Chloe: Moving to a different country at 19 definitely made me fearless and independent. So I would say those things are qualities I possess, along with a dry, British, witty and sarcastic sense of humor that gets me through the darkest of times and situations with as much grace as possible and a positive attitude.

www.chloecharlotteskitchen.com

Chloe’s LA Faves:

Healthy Restaurant: Erewhon
Splurge Restaurant: Found Oyster, Saffy's, Marvin, and we’re excited to try Funke soon. Nightlife Spot: Sunset Tower Hotel
Yoga Studio: I do Yoga and Pilates classes at home daily, along with the Peloton.
Fun Activity: I love to see all the latest movies that come out weekly. And I also love to travel to new, exciting places.
Calming Activity: I love to hike with my dog, Paddington.
Online Resources: I am a part of a liquid biopsy trial with Signatera I would highly recommend to others going through breast cancer.
Books: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. A helpful book during treatment was Wintering by Katherine May.