Sandi Richard is North America's foremost meal planner and it's no wonder. She is passionate about getting families back to the dinner table. And she should know how tough that is for families considering she has seven children of her own. She and her husband Ron put everything they owned on the line over ten years ago when they decided to share Sandi's passion in their first self published meal planning book, Life's on Fire-Cooking for the Rushed, released in 1999. Since that time they have added two more books to the Cooking for the Rushed series, all best sellers, and their fourth book is due to be released in January, 2007.
Sandi speaks to thousands of people across North America about strategies to get families back to the dinner table to create more balance in their lives. Her enthusiasm eventually caught the attention of some of the country's largest networks. Sandi decided to settle down with joeMedia, a Calgary based production company, and shortly after Food Network Canada snapped up her first national show called Fixing Dinner which has now completed four seasons.
Sandi loves to share her meal planning strategies with chefs, cooks, dieticians and doctors, and they love her back. "I never feel I'm in competition with other chefs or cooks who are passionate about food. When we get together we share, squeal and the room is on fire...who needs a stove!" It's no wonder that Sandi is frequently asked to be a feature guest on shows south of the border. She had a lucrative offer to leave Canada, for which she declined. "Canada is home and I'm proud of it!" This native Quebecer is a little taken back by all of the success that's gone along with her passion. "For me, it's all about the meal planning, if we can help families get their act together and show them they are not alone then we've succeeded and I will accept the pint of fame that comes along with the territory!"
Sandi won Ampia's Best Host - Female (non-news) at both the 2005 and 2006 Alberta Film & Television Awards. She has been a featured guest on Food Network U.S. and has a blast playing food with other hosts on CTV, Global, City TV, The Learning Channel as well as NBC and ABC in the U.S. Sandi writes articles for numerous publications across the country and was asked to be on the cover of Woman's World Magazine. "Now that was a shocker, but it was kind of cool going to L.A. and hotel-ing with the stars I have to admit."
Her colleagues and advisors include family doctors Kelly Brett and George Lambros, and Sandra Burgess, a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator. Her work has even caught the attention of corporate health facilitators in both Canada and the U.S. as a part of preventative health and Dr. Gordon Matheson, Chief, Division of Sports Medicine at Stanford University.