Rachael Keefe Advances in National ‘Favorite Chef’ Contest

Rachael Keefe can often be found in the kitchen. This surprises some people, since she only lives with her spouse, who has gastroparesis and therefore mostly cannot eat the things that Rachael can prepare. Whether she is blending nutrition supplements for her spouse or adapting recipes to meet her own dietary needs, Rachael persistently explores new taste possibilities.

She loves to bake and cook, often with success in spite of the many, many restrictions on her diet and her spouse’s. Rachael is currently hoping to advance in the ‘Favorite Chef’ contest which benefits the James Beard Foundation. The winner receives $25,000 and is featured in ‘Taste of Home’ magazine following a cooking experience with Celebrity Chef Carla Hall.

Rachael decided to enter this competition with the hopes of drawing attention to food allergies and restrictions, and that they don’t have to end the joy of cooking and baking.

Please enter your votes of support for Rachael today – voting ends Thursday!

Rachael has a cornucopia of health challenges, all of which seem to have added dietary restrictions. “First I had to eliminate gluten. Then dairy! Next was all grains, which meant rice and other wheat alternatives were off the ingredients lists.”

These restrictions don’t stop Rachael from reading books, and watching cooking shows with an eye toward what she can recreate despite her restrictions. She is particularly fond of shows featuring Maneet Chauhan, Carla Hall, and Duff Goldman.

For Rachael’s birthday in 2024, Erika invited Celebrity Chef and Restaurant Executive Maneet Chauhan to send a Cameo video. In that greeting, Maneet described Rachael as someone who responds to dietary restrictions with practical creativity and a refreshing sense of purpose in the kitchen.

“You always look at coming up with solutions every time when you are given a restriction. I mean, it’s almost like a Chopped TM basket, right? You’re given four ingredients, and you’re told, ‘Make something delicious out of it!‘ And that’s what you’re doing, and you’re embodying that. And it just melts my heart.”

Never one to back down from a challenge, Rachael has worked with the ingredients remaining to her. As Chef Maneet Chauhan put it, “I love the fact that you are so adaptable, and you are constantly making something delicious, given the parameters and restrictions. And I think that is what cooking is all about. Once you figure out how to cook from your heart, you can very easily perfect it. And that’s the most incredible part.”

Indeed. As of 2025, the reasons for Rachael’s ingredients list to be made briefer include Celiac disease, dysautonomia, POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome), numerous food allergies and sensitivities, Raynaud’s Syndrome, Hashimoto’s Disease, and hypoglycemia following the removal of an adrenal gland in 2024.

What Rachael does with each added restriction is that she finds a way to pivot. She is a magician in the kitchen and in life, inexplicably capable of figuring out how to do the next thing. She is currently studying a 2-year course in herbal medicine, in order to integrate her life experience and her spiritual direction practice, hoping to offer the most care to those who come to her for support.

“This is what life is all about. It is adapting to changes. It is about pivoting, and you seem to be an embodiment of that.” – Maneet Chauhan

What’s Next

Right now Rachael has made it to the Top Five in her group for the Favorite Chef. To continue, she needs your votes by this Thursday. You can vote here with a facebook login once every day or you can make several votes by making a donation to the James Beard Foundation. Rachael gets notified each day regarding who votes and who donates, and she tries to send thank you notes to everyone. In advance:

Thank you!! from the bottom of our hearts for voting and supporting Rachael in this competition. Rachael is a superstar who lives to help the people around her. Advancing in this competition is a way that we can help her a bit in return.

Some of Rachael’s Accessible Foods

Here is just a few of the various dishes Rachael has made without all of the customary ingredients for making them. Bonus: If you’d like to discuss any of these with Rachael? She will probably answer questions about this on social media. Find the discussion link below these images. And please don’t forget to give her a vote also.

Let’s get Rachael’s spectacular, accessible food creations into the winner’s circle!

You can vote daily here.

Want to discuss this topic? (Or ask Rachael a question?)

*There is this post on bluesky and this thread on facebook*