OCT 2, 2020

Let’s Get Cooking!

Mike Hargett is a professional chef, double transplant recipient, and person with hemophilia who lives by the mantra that his conditions don’t define him; he defines them. Growing up helping in the family-owned deli (which sparked his lifelong passion for cooking), Mike trained at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland and completed an externship at the Ritz Carlton in Maui which led to a variety of restaurant cooking opportunities. Currently, he works as a personal chef in the Pacific Northwest, but, more recently, Mike has gained fame within the bleeding disorder and transplant communities as a cooking demonstrator. In online sessions, Mike shares his enthusiasm for cooking and his “zest” for life as he elevates ordinary household ingredients into savory, restaurant-enviable meals in these interactive events. This experience has inspired Mike to set up his own non-profit where he helps persons with chronic conditions overcome the challenges of planning and preparing meals on their own. As the world’s first person with hemophilia to receive a heart and a kidney transplant, Mike’s positive attitude, good-humored personality, passion for cooking, and perseverance embody his spirit of “cooking with heart.