Traci Higgins, Founder and Executive Chef

Traci Higgins has created the ultimate recipe for success.  She started with education, incorporated a passion for food, whisked in a variety of different experiences, beat in lots of hard work and slowly roasted it with vision, direction and insight, then thoughtfully served it up, beautifully plated, to share with others, which is what makes her today’s successful and thriving DINING IN! Founder & Executive Chef. 

A University of Texas graduate, Texas-born, Higgins worked in the restaurant industry for 6 years.  Upon moving to San Francisco in 2001 and spending weekends at the farmer's market, she realized a career-change to being a full-time chef was where she wanted to focus her energies, leaving behind her short career in psychology.  Higgins graduated with honors from the California Culinary Academy in 2003 dovetailing right into working as a private chef and for various catering companies in San Francisco. Higgins was able to apply her interests in health and nutrition working in the test kitchens at one of the leading publishing companies which include Weight Watchers, Cooking Light Magazine and America's Best Recipes.  She accelerated her culinary skills to new levels cooking without fat, learning how to measure calories, tricks to flavoring healthy food and more about nutrition.

In addition to testing and developing recipes Higgins exercised her creative abilities working as a food stylist and contributing writer. In the year 2003 she received credit in three cookbooks, two of which were Weight Watchers. In 2004, she served as food stylist for a 5 page layout in Coastal Living Magazine that featured a local culinary personality.Print to television was a natural transition for the diversified culinary talents of Higgins, working on the television show, "Follow that Food" with Gordon Elliott for the Food Network with some of the best chefs in Miami and Palm Beach, Florida.

Higgins is a dynamic speaker taking stage at numerous events regarding healthy cooking, cooking with diabetes and low-fat ways to flavor food. Events have included, Novo Nordisk Diabetes Company, Sutter Health Gold in California, UCSF Diabetes Forum, American Diabetes Association Annual Conference and Day One Center for new moms. She has given private and public cooking classes over the years.  And for the last three years she has traveled the country with a leading pharmaceutical company across the country, doing cooking demonstrations and giving lectures about health and wellness to doctors, dietitians, health professionals and nurses. She joined forces with leading dietitian, Nancy Bennett to do lively and informative presentations on such topics as healthy snacks, meals on the go, food and mood and how to stock your pantry for success.

With a deep passion for cooking healthy cuisine, Higgins is dedicated to using fresh ingredients and is committed to supporting California produce growers, local farmers, and ranchers. Organic produce is always her first choice whenever possible…and incorporating her commitment to quality and love for what she does is the dessert to complete the finest DINING IN experience.