More Pictures

Born in 1959, Chef George Stella had no way of knowing that by the age of 40 he would reach the weight of 470 pounds.  Being obese, George experienced serious heart problems that threatened his life and his career. After trying and failing every other diet, George turned to the then somewhat controversial low-carb approach. With his experience in the food industry and his family's tremendous success story, George is now revolutionizing the way one eats low-carb, and is working to help inspire others.

George Stella's career in the food industry started at a young age while living in Deerfield Beach, Florida.  While his first job was as a dishwasher at the age of 13, George quickly found himself working at some of Florida's leading restaurants.

In the early 80's he worked as an Executive Chef for the Philips Petroleum Company showcase restaurant, 'Windows on the Green' located in the Pier 66 Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale.  George would then go on to work with the owner of the famous 'MARK'S' restaurants, Chef Mark Militelo.   Together they brought the first California Cuisine menu to the state of Florida, and also opened 'Café Max' in Pompano Beach.

Besides working as a successful chef, George Stella extended his creative energy into other areas of the food industry.  George invented a food product line called 'Cooking Magic,' and founded 'Stella Foods' to distribute his gourmet food products to grocery stores such as Publix and Winn Dixie. George also presented cooking demonstrations alongside celebrities such as Paul Pruhdomme, and Julia Child in order to promote Florida seafood for the State of Florida, Department of Natural Resources, and Division of Seafood Marketing in Tallahassee.

Despite George's creative ingenuity and success as a chef, it became difficult for George to keep a job because of his overwhelming weight. At the height of his weight, George found himself on Social Security disability with Congestive Heart Failure, and often had to use a wheelchair to get around. Doctors warned George that disregarding his obesity would be fatal, and therefore in October of 1999 he started a low-carb diet.

George Stella's wife of 25 years, Rachel Stella, was having problems with her weight as well, and together they experienced staggering weight loss.  George dropped 265 pounds from his original 470, and Rachel lost 75 pounds.

George and Rachel's success eventually inspired their two sons, Christian and Anthony, to try a low-carb diet. Their youngest son, Christian, who at the age of 15 weighed in at 305 pounds, tried the diet first and lost 165 pounds. Anthony would also see a significant loss of weight, losing 75 pounds.

Culinary talent can be found not only in George, but also in his wife Rachel, who had been a commercial baker before meeting George. Together, with their expertise, they have developed numerous naturally low-carb recipes.  Their recipes range from snacks and meals, to delicious low-carb desserts such as Rachel's muffins and cakes. A common thread between all of their dishes are the fresh foods and ingredients, something that should be the staple of all healthy diets.

With their ability to fulfill any low-carb dieter's cravings, the Stella's looked to help others by sharing their knowledge and abilities as chefs.  'The Low Carb Chefs!' was created in order to provide much needed support by going into clients' homes, not only to cook a week's worth of low-carb gourmet meals, but also to teach them how to shop low-carb.

After his success living a low-carb lifestyle, George worked as a chef at Walt Disney World's 'Grand Floridian Hotel' in fine restaurants such as 'Victoria and Albert's' and 'Citricos.'

With a success story such as the Stella family's, it was not long before George and Rachel were featured in several magazine and newspaper stories, as well as on television networks such as FOX, CNN, and CBS Television Nightly News in Orlando, Florida.   They have also appeared regularly on FOX News' national morning news show 'Fox and Friends,' and ABC's 'The View,' where they have demonstrated various low-carb dishes such as gourmet pizza, Key Lime cheesecake, and Strawberry Shortcake Martinis.