Neighbors: Laura Proctor

When Laura Proctor was 12 years old, she realized she possessed culinary talent and had a passion for cooking.

“My parents were away on vacation, and I wanted a pot roast on Sunday,” she says. “I looked up the recipe and made this delicious pot roast. My parents came home and they were shocked. I said, ‘This is so easy!’”
Proctor has been in the food industry for more than 35 years. She’s spent the last 15 running her own company, Epicurean Pursuits, on Siesta Key.

Prior to running her own company, Proctor had many adventures in the culinary world, one of which included working as a chef on a private yacht, an opportunity she picked up while visiting a fried in Fort Lauderdale.

“For two years, I sailed all around the world,” she says. “Down to South America, Bermuda and crossed the Atlantic, twice. I worked in the Mediterranean for the summer and then sailed back to the West Indies and worked the season there.”

Following that experience, Proctor went back overseas, this time to live in Paris, France, and attend Le Cordon Bleu for 18 months. She learned a lot about cooking classic cuisine and classical cooking techniques.

“I loved Paris; it was amazing,” she says. “You worked hard all day with lessons in the morning and then cooking all day long. At the end of the day, we sat down at a big table and critiqued one another’s dishes. Then, we got to eat all the food and drink wine. Being poor students, that was usually our only meal during the day. Some days we would just eat cream puffs.”

Upon returning to the United States, Proctor headed straight for the Sunshine State instead of her hometown of Charlevoix, Mich. She worked a variety of food-industry jobs before starting A Movable Feast, a deli and catering business located in the Gulf Gate area. During the two-year run of the business, Proctor met her husband, John.

Proctor took time away from cooking while she raised her children — Josh, now 22, and Emily, now 21. Proctor made her return to the industry as a personal chef.

Proctor says the most rewarding part of the business is being a part of her clients’ lives and helping them make healthy decisions when creating a menu.

“I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of changing people’s health by providing the right meals and food that works for what their bodies need — even with restrictions,” she says. Through cuisine, Proctor has helped her client to lower their cholesterol and high blood pressure. She has helped them lose weight and has cooked gluten-free for those who have celiac disease.

“It’s fun and rewarding to be a part of someone’s life because food is such an integral part of your life,” Proctor says.