We’re looking forward to introducing you to Monique Karabach. Check out our conversation below.
Monique, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
A safe, regulated, joyful home for my daughter. Our childhood shapes who we become as adults and being intentional with my time with her is the most important thing I can do. My husband and I are very hands on parents and take pride in how we are raising our daughter to be a strong, brave, independent child.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Monique! I’m a self-taught private chef, cooking educator, and founder of The Monique Story. My journey with food began long before I ever stepped into professional kitchens – it’s rooted in my heritage as a first generation Indian American, and shaped by years of exploring the mind-body connection through cooking.
What makes my work unique is that I don’t just teach people how to cook, I help them transform their relationship with food itself. My approach blends intuitive cooking, nervous system regulation, and soulful kitchen practices, so people can move from stress and resistance to joy, flow, and confidence in the kitchen. Over the years, I’ve worn many hats – hosting my own pop up dinners, working with high-profile private clients, and building an online community through workshops, 1:1 coaching, and my group containers.
Right now, I’m especially excited about my signature offering, Nourishment Transformation – it’s an ongoing group program that helps people come home to themselves through nourishment education, nervous system regulation education and practices, and actual cooking guidance that they can use in their own life. I’m over the flashy recipes and 2 minute hacks that don’t provide sustainable changes…. I’m also developing workshops and 1:1 programs that fuse pro chef skills with meditation, EFT tapping, and journaling, because I believe food isn’t just fuel – it’s a portal into healing, creativity, and connection. And my one on one coaching with clients in person and virtually has been especially transformational in how people feed themselves, their families, and most importantly, remember that the answers are always within.
I’m also a Mental Projector in Human Design and have a very interesting astrological chart that makes me have the ability to pierce through illusions, uncover hidden truths, and hold others through deep healing processes.
At the heart of it all, my brand is about showing people that cooking doesn’t have to feel like a chore – that we are rewriting old stories that we’ve created about cooking – choosing differently, and remembering that your relationship with food sets the tone for all other parts of your life.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Having my daughter – a traumatic birth experience during COVID that flipped my world upside down – changed everything I’ve ever known about the human experience. The contrast between the beauty of new life, and mourning my old life, nourishing and sustaining my baby with my own body, and being depleted and tortured by sleep deprivation… the highs and lows changed me to my core.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
SO many times. Being an entrepreneur is about trying and failing, learning and growing, finding what works and what doesn’t… and it is not for the weak. It is humbling, strenuous, but also incredibly freeing and expanding. And in my line of work as a private chef and nourishment coach, there are so many variables when in the kitchen or on a Zoom call with clients that you just have to be ready for anything to happen.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
For me, the answer always comes back to love. I know that might sound a little woo woo or like I’m floating in hippie land, but I genuinely believe it’s the truth. At the end of the day, we’re not here just to grind, achieve, or survive – we’re here to enjoy life and spread love in whatever ways we can.
Love doesn’t have to look one specific way. Sometimes it’s big and obvious, like holding your child or celebrating a milestone. But often, it’s woven into the smallest details – sharing a meal you cooked with care, the way you greet someone with genuine presence, or even the energy you bring into a room. My work with food is really just a vehicle for this. Cooking becomes a language of love: nourishing your body, delighting your senses, and creating space for connection.
I think what makes life meaningful is remembering that love is both the path and the destination. Whether I’m in the kitchen, coaching a client, or simply moving through my day, I come back to that as my compass. It’s simple, but it’s powerful – because love transforms everything it touches.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I love this question because it highlights how often we put people into boxes – and how often we do it to ourselves.
“Monique is a content creator, so she must be X, Y, Z…”
“Monique is a chef, so she definitely does X, Y, Z…”
But when I strip all of that away and remember who I am at my core – a spiritual being having a human experience – it becomes abundantly clear that while things do matter, nothing really matters in the way we think they do. That perspective frees me to show up authentically, without the weight of labels or expectations, and just be present to the experience of it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themoniquestory.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themoniquestory
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/themoniquestory
Image Credits
All photos are taken by me or friends/family
