He has had a crush on her since he was in grade school, yet it only took Michael Edgar 20 years to propose to Kris Yeo.
Growing up as neighbours in Bradford, their paths diverged until COVID struck. Then Yeo returned home from Australia to be with her mother, and Edgar returned home after a marriage break-up.
“I’ve had a crush on Krissy since I was 10, so I’ve been kind of like on cloud nine the entire time,” Edgar said.
Three months into their relationship Yeo realized Edgar was an extraordinary chef, and he recognizes her international work as a fashion model has given her a keen business sense.
Newly engaged as of December 2021, the pair decided to start their own YouTube channel called 'Zest Up Your Life', showing viewers how to cook certain dishes from home during the pandemic.
“We were doing little Instagram videos, people were reaching out asking about having a chef visit their home, and we were like ‘Well, we weren’t really thinking about that’,” Edgar said.
But the idea appealed to them and they started creating dinner for friends and family.
“And they were like, ‘This is amazing’ and ‘We can’t believe the food that’s coming out of here’.”
With Yeo’s 110,000 followers on Instagram from her work both as an international plus-size model and body-positive activist, Edgar said they decided to take on catering jobs onto the internet.
Starting with a meal prep deal, the Bradford couple offered customers a choice to pick dinners they’d like to serve from a menu, and then had it delivered pre-cooked to their door, he said.
“So, we started with meal prep, then we started catering, like small little events here and there and whatnot, and then it just kind of blew up really, really fast,” he said.
Not having commercial equipment, Edgar used his contacts at the Brick N Fire Restaurant and the Moody Cow Pub in Aurora to rent space during their off-hours.
With a team of cooks and dishwashers lined up, the Zest Up Your Life crew works in its satellite kitchens creating “holiday bundles” for Christmas, Thanksgiving and the upcoming Valentine’s Day celebration where they will cook the entire meal – and source desserts from Sweet B’s Bakery – and deliver it all to your door.
Yeo, who’s waiting on a work visa to travel again once the pandemic recedes, says she’s picked up a few cooking tips along the way.
“I’ve learned a few skills and I am improving,” Yeo said with a laugh. “I jump in the kitchen and I’m a really good helper – I do what I’m told.”
“She can peel a carrot like no one I’ve ever seen,” Edgar added smoothly.
Yeo, who handles the administrative end of things, as well as the bookings, said the meal prep business has taken off again due to provincial shutdowns.
For more information, visit https://zestupyourlife.ca/
