Meet the Chef & CCMP
I'm Christina Bailey, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, Michelin-star restaurant alum, and Certified Culinary Medicine Professional (CCMP). Based in Boise, Idaho, I offer culinary services to local clients and online nutrition counseling.
Before the kitchen, I worked in musical theater and broadcast journalism. And the latter shaped how I approach sharing recipes and nutrition insight - with editorial integrity and evidence-based guidance. My reporting appeared on CNN's Headline News, and my work and expertise as a chef have been featured by HuffPost, Insider, Allrecipes, Yummly, and the Culinary Institute of America.
Standards & Approach
I created Edible Times because most (though not all) food content online is unreliable, untrained, or quietly for sale. I publish every recipe, technique, and bit of nutrition advice based on sound culinary methods and peer-reviewed research. My goal as a culinary medicine chef is simple: Food that holds up in a real kitchen and supports long-term health (and that doesn't mean no dessert!).
I have independently produced this site since 2009 without any brand partnerships, sponsored content, or pop-up ads designed to hijack your attention. Any in-line advertisements help cover the cost of maintaining the site, and not much more. For deeper dives and monthly time-saving recipes, I write a newsletter on Substack (currently on hiatus, scheduled to begin again in summer 2026). The monthly recipe is free, but you can choose to support my work with a paid subscription that gets you more.
The Long Story
I came to food by way of a stage and a newsroom. Which is either a strange path or a perfectly logical one, depending on how you look at it. After graduating from Florida State University with a media studies degree, I worked in Equity musical theater (and am still a proud member of AEA).
I performed at Disneyland's Fantasyland Theatre and appeared in national television commercials. The epitome of my theater career was playing the Witch's Mother in the original Chicago cast of Wicked.
The Culinary Institute of America
I graduated from the CIA in Hyde Park, New York, earning the Katharine Angell Academic Achievement Award, a valedictorian honor. At the CIA, I worked under food photographer Keith Ferris and wrote articles for the food science department. I earned certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers, and self-published a book about my externship experience.
That involved twelve-hour days in a Michelin-starred kitchen and will recalibrate your standards for food permanently, and to a fault at times. I also photographed seasonal menu changes for the restaurant group's corporate marketing. Once a journalist, always a journalist. My first role in a kitchen was as an intern at Sidebern's (now Haven) in Tampa under award-winning Executive Chef Chad Johnson.
Culinary Medicine
Culinary medicine sits at the intersection of professional cooking and evidence-based nutrition science. Most food and nutrition content online is produced by people trained in one or the other. Very few have both. It is why I pursued certification through the American College of Culinary Medicine. I now serve on a committee at ACCM that keeps the curriculum current for new candidates. Honored that they asked.
Now
I offer nutrition guidance services along with cooking classes in the Boise, Idaho, area. I volunteer in Boise's theater community and occasionally teach musical theater at Treasure Valley Children's Theater in the evenings.