Your kitchen’s favorite workhorse.
At The Table With: Ann Ogden Gaffney, Founder of Cook for Your LIFE
Instagram: @ann_ogden_gaffney
Pronouns: She/Her
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When chemotherapy changed the way food tasted, Ann Ogden Gaffney found comfort in the kitchen.
“When I was going through cancer treatment, I realized that I was dealing with the inevitable side effects better than most in my weekly support group. It was because I could cook.”
The desire to share her knowledge with others became Cook for Your LIFE. It started as free cooking classes for 15 people. Today it serves millions of cancer patients and caregivers. This October, Ann shares the meals that carried her through treatment and what she wants every patient and caregiver to hear.
A Family That Lived to Eat
Ann grew up in England with food on both sides of the family. Her father was a master baker. Her mother’s family was Italian, and her grandfather was a chef. She was helping in the kitchen early.
“At college I was usually the only person who could make more than toast!”
Her first career was fashion. Paris introduced her to bourgeois French cooking, plus North African, Vietnamese and Japanese food. Then, two weeks into the job, she was sent to Italy to work with knitwear factories.
“I found myself travelling all over Italy being treated to some of the best food around, not only in restaurants but in people’s homes, where the atmosphere was familiar, as if I were at my Grandma’s. They loved how interested I was in the food, and over the years, I ended up learning a lot of practical techniques from them.”
She learned to cook simply and seasonally: the first crop of local asparagus and sweet strawberries.
“Cooking delicious food doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need to use the freshest, most affordable ingredients available to you, a good knife, and a basic understanding of how to season to build flavor.”
From Support Group to Classroom
The diagnosis meant no travel, and no travel meant no work. Ann leaned on her Zen meditation practice. She also had to learn something harder.
“It was difficult for me to ask for help, but having to turned out to be one of the best things that happened to me.”
In the support group, she started trading recipes with her “fellow travelers.” Almost no one else was cooking. Most ordered in or bought prepared food. Then a friend asked if she could teach them the basics.
“A lightbulb went off in my head. I was fed up with fashion at this point so decided to see if I could teach. It needed to be free of charge, because cancer is an expensive illness to deal with.”
Ann worked with patient navigators and dietitians at her hospital, wrote down her favorite recipes, drafted a business plan and found the funding to start classes. Today, Cook for Your LIFE is part of Fred Hutch in Seattle.
“I can remember the excitement when we first hit 100K users on our website! I am immensely proud of Cook for Your LIFE, and thrilled that it is being taken to the next level.”
Comfort, Not a Cure
Ann doesn’t think of food as medicine. She thinks of it as nourishment and comfort. During treatment, that meant the dishes her mother made when she was sick as a child. First up: Miracle Chicken.
“It’s basically a chicken pot au feu with rice. It’s bland, digestible yet completely delicious, and is so easy to make that even a non-cook can make it!”
Her freezer stayed full of her Grandma’s minestrone. On days she could barely eat, she turned to ochazuke: sushi rice and salty umeboshi plums with hot green tea poured over. In the summer heat, it was cold cubed watermelon, bright with lime and torn mint.
“Be Kind to Yourself”
We asked Ann what she’d tell someone newly diagnosed, or cooking for someone in treatment.
“When it comes to food, it’s important to be kind to yourself and eat what feels good to you. Yes, eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, but don’t beat yourself up if mac and cheese is what you crave.”
And to caregivers:
“Please, please listen to what your loved ones want rather than what you think they should have. Chemo is not a time to try radical diets.”
On taste changes, her advice is practical. If a favorite food suddenly tastes off, set it aside until your taste buds recover. In the meantime, play with herbs, spices and new flavors.
That thinking runs through her cookbook. Soups and rice dishes, yes, but also pita pizzas, pasta and fruit desserts.
“Since no two people experience treatment the same way, or have the same cravings, I wanted to offer as many helpful possibilities as I could. I also wanted meals that cancer patients and their families could enjoy sitting down to eat together, something that sadly doesn’t always happen.”
In Ann’s Kitchen
On the harder days, the right tools do some of the work. Ann reaches for a sharp chef’s knife, peelers and can openers that feel good in the hand, and an immersion blender for smooth soups. Her Dutch oven and pressure cooker handle the slow-simmered meals she stocks in the freezer. A well-seasoned cast iron pan covers the rest.
Her pick for October: a Winter Squash Risotto, creamy, golden and seasonal. Or, for the coziest option, her Miracle Chicken.
Her Message This October
For survivors, caregivers and supporters, Ann’s message starts with screening.
“Regularly check your breasts and get that mammogram or sonogram when it’s offered! Keep moving, exercise! And don’t forget, men get breast cancer too, so guys, if you find a lump on your chest, go see a doctor!”
Beyond that: plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole foods, fewer ultra-processed foods, and no alcohol. For the latest guidance, she points to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Ann is back in the UK now, after more than 40 years away, and happily retired. She still misses teaching, though.
“I am mulling taking a small group of 8–10 next summer to Glastonbury, in the South West of the UK. We have use of a beautiful old house in the center of town with a great kitchen for classes. Watch this space!”
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