Noosa Personal Chef combines world-class hospitality and gut health expertise to change the way we eat. Georgia Beard reveals how Melissa and Raphael Andreucci Miragaia Ribeiro deliver their home chef service with personalised meal plans for every client.
Diets aren’t catalysts for change; they’re never-ending cycles. When bad eating habits materialise in the mirror, guilt sets in. We try to appease that heavy feeling with the latest weight loss program, and for a moment, it works. Then our surge of momentum slows down.
We run out of time to cook. We crave the food we cut out. Instead of seeing results, we see no improvement at all.
But our lack of self-discipline isn’t to blame for the diet’s failure. The problem may be the diet itself.
Fitness coach and gut health nutritionist Melissa Andreucci Miragaia Ribeiro knows how counterproductive diets can be. After she struggled with severe digestive issues, a personal trainer recommended a one-size-fits-all diet. While her digestion deteriorated, she experienced weight gain too.
“It wasn’t until I booked a consultation with an Ayurvedic practitioner that I really found my true passion,” she said. “My gut health was fixed in two weeks after years and years of suffering and following what I was told was healthy.”
Originating in ancient India, Ayurveda uses holistic remedies to encourage balance between the mind, body and spirit. Western society is now embracing Ayurvedic diets, which tailor foods to individuals based on what’s best for
their body types.
These diets recommend fare from all food groups, allowing the microbiomes in our stomach and intestines to flourish. Far from being nasty, good bacteria is vital for healthy digestion.
With her husband and head chef Raphael, Melissa founded Nirvana Life on the principles of gut health and Ayurveda. After delivering pre-made meals through Nirvana Life Meals since 2019, their focus has now shifted to a more personalised approach to meal service.
“People loved our meals so much, they wanted to create their own instead of going off our menu,” Melissa said. “A lot of people have allergies or strong dislikes, so they wanted to be able to create something that’s entirely for themselves.”
As a result, the nutritionist-chef team have launched Noosa Personal Chef. The service replaces useless diets, standardised meals and the daily stress of home cooking with something much better – weekly cook-ups in your own kitchen by chef Raphael with the meals individualised for your nutritional needs.
“When someone books our service online, they get a free consultation with me to determine their gut health levels and ensure the meals are catered around their goals,” Melissa said. “We might have some people who don’t have any concerns with gut health, and they could pick whatever they want; whereas some people want to lose weight, put on weight or just eat healthy.”
Melissa draws her knowledge of health and lifestyle from her experience with The Noosa Studio. Alongside online and face-to-face personal training, her business offers Ayurveda consultations and treatment plans to improve nutrition and digestion. With Noosa Personal Chef, you get her expertise for free.
After the consultation, you can choose from two packages: head to the supermarket with Melissa and Raphael’s specialised shopping list or request the team to shop for you. Melissa then determines how to distribute macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and fat into each meal according to dietary requirements.
Groceries in tow, Raphael brings years of experience cooking in well-loved Brisbane and Noosa restaurants into your kitchen. In just four hours, he prepares a week’s worth of meals, measures them into containers, stores them in the fridge and cleans up the kitchen.
Noosa Personal Chef not only personalises the ingredients but caters for different meals of the day.
Busy families can order food for the kids’ lunchboxes. Tourists don’t need to spend all their time eating out or cooking in when Raphael can visit their holiday apartments and leave behind breakfast, lunch and dinner – personally prepared for you and your family.
“A lot of people have good intentions of going to the Farmers’ Market or the shops,” Melissa said. “They buy all this food, they never cook it and they end up throwing it away.
“Our clients have said they save so much time during their week because they don’t have to cook. They spend time with their kids, go to the beach or do the things they like to do without wasting their time or spending money on takeaway.”
After a visit from Noosa Personal Chef, you live differently. You’re no longer stuck in the diet cycle or skipping diets completely; you’re eating food customised for your unique digestive system.
The result is improved health, more energy and more time for those you love – and that’s truly a balanced lifestyle.