Street Style: Meet Kristen Coffield
For Kristen Coffield, wellness isn’t a trend, it’s a way of life. As the founder of The Culinary Cure, she has spent decades helping women reclaim their energy, health, and sense of self through practical, resilient wellness. Now, she’s turning her focus to a powerful and personal chapter—Active Grandparenting—showing modern grandparents how to transform this stage of life into one of the most vibrant yet.
Kristen grew up in Bronxville, New York, a one–square–mile village known as the “Golden Mile.” While the town was affluent, her upbringing was far more modest. Her mother, a red-haired interior designer, raised two daughters as a single parent in the 1960s. They lived in an apartment building that required eight flights of stairs for any excursion outside of the house. “My mom didn’t need a gym membership,” Kristen laughs. “Her life was a workout.”
At sixteen, Kristen took a job with a family friend who had just opened a traditional French kitchen. “I was working alongside French, Greek, and Italian women who were preparing food in traditional ways. There weren't shortcuts and there definitely weren't Sysco food service trucks pulling up. This was real food being prepared in traditional ways.”
Kristen started at the bottom of the kitchen–cleaning vegetables and doing prep work–but within just a few years she was managing the restaurant’s dining room and staffing catering events, and her appreciation for real, seasonal food only grew.
After years continuing to work restaurant management and wine sales, Kristen moved to Alexandria with her husband and started a catering company specializing in congressional fundraisers. Her niche was creating menus inspired by each member’s home district—an idea that quickly set her apart from any form of competition.
Years later, as an entrepreneur at heart who was also raising three kids, she launched a subscription meal service for executives and athletes seeking nutrient-dense meals. She had it all–health, family, and a booming business–until she didn’t.
In the mid 2000s, her mother’s cancer returned. As Kristen tried to support her mother’s treatment, she was surprised by how little emphasis traditional medicine placed on nutrition. The experience sparked a new chapter for her—one focused on deepening her knowledge and helping others understand how food and lifestyle choices can play a powerful role in their health.
“That entire process made me realize you have to be an advocate for your own health,” she says. “Your number one job in life is protecting the only body and brain you’ll ever get, and 80% of that equation is what you put in your mouth.”
In her fifties, Kristen launched The Culinary Cure, a wellness platform dedicated to helping women use food and lifestyle habits to live “younger, longer and better.”
Meet Kristen Coffield
Self-Styled
Shoot Location: Her Old Town Pied-à-Terre
Photography: Renée C. Gage
While Kristen’s focus on wellness has never wavered, her perspective evolved when she became a grandmother nearly a decade later. Though she and her husband were already active, she quickly realized how physical caring for young children could be.
“You suddenly find yourself on the floor a lot,” she says with a smile. “And most adults haven’t had to get up and down off the floor in thirty years.”
After a video of Kristen demonstrating how to get up from the floor while holding her grandchild went viral, the concept of Active Grandparenting was born.
The philosophy focuses on four pillars: mobility, stability, flexibility and strength. The goal is to maintain the functional movements that keep daily life running smoothly.
“It's getting in and out of a car. It's putting a grandkid in a car seat. It's putting your suitcase in the overhead bin on the airplane.” she says. “These are the movements that matter.”
Her ability to stay active and engaged with her grandchildren doesn’t make her a burden, it makes her indispensable. It means more time doing the things she loves with the people she loves, without ever feeling like she’s in the way.
“You can't help someone if you need help yourself,” she says.
With a new book set to release this fall and affordable online wellness programs that clients return to year after year, Kristen is focused on spending her next chapter inspiring others to rethink what active aging can look like.
“This stage of life has been so underestimated,” she says. “But it can be one of the most vibrant and meaningful chapters.”
And Kristen Coffield is living proof of just that.
ABOUT KRISTEN
Your neighborhood: Old Town Waterfront. Walkability at its best, a block to the river, restaurants, parks and shops.
Your hometown: I grew up in a small town in Westchester, NY, called Bronxville. It was the 1960’s, my mom was a single parent of 2 girls and that mile square town made it possible for her to have a business, keep an eye on us and give us a truly exceptional childhood!
What would surprise people about you? I am very honest with my audience on Instagram about life’s 3rd act, and how we, as women, can reclaim our wellness, our relevance and sense of purpose. But I am also a private person, so you see a lot on my social media, but I am selective about what I share.
Favorite book or movie: Gone With The Wind: Book & Movie! My NEW book is coming out in September!!! Active Grandparenting: Energize Your Life, Redefine Your Role and Grandparent With Purpose. It’s going to inspire a new generation of grandparents!
Guilty pleasure: Getting ice cream with my grandchildren!
Latest binge-watch: Shrinking, it's delightfully smart and hysterically funny, plus it doesn't stress me out before bed.
Bucket list travel destination: Scotland is on my list because I have family heritage and I am a huge Diana Gabaldon fan of the Outlander Books that take place there.
STYLE
Define your style in three words or less: Ageless Street Chic
The go-to piece in your wardrobe: Denim Jacket
Favorite trend: Slow-fashion. Buying quality pieces, with timeless appeal in natural fibers.
Beauty product you can’t live without: La Mer Eye Concentrate
Boots, dress shoes or sneakers? Frye Sneakers
WELLNESS
Go-to way to de-stress: Hot bath with a couple of bottles of mineral water and a good book or magazine
Favorite way to stay active: Chasing grandchildren, which is WHY I lift heavy (grandchildren are heavy), do resistance training, cardio & hot yoga. Walking is key, so I walk whenever I can!
Wellness goal: Live like I am 50 into my 80’s
Want to try: Vibration Plate
Proudest wellness achievement: Creating a completely NEW category of wellness for women over 50. Active Grandparenting.
HOME
Favorite room in your home: Kitchen, it's the heart of the home and key to a lifetime of wellness!
Antiques, modern, or a mix? Like fashion, I like a space that feels curated and represents my life and style, while being warm and welcoming.
Last item you bought for your home: A huge framed French art deco poster from the 1930’s
Favorite way to entertain: Great question, and this has changed from the years I entertained like Martha Stewart on steroids, to a more casual approach that's centered on having a quality visit with my guests. Good food, beverages & company in many combos. And always champagne!
Clutter-free or well-lived in? Minimalist & curated. We live in 1400 SF so visually clear makes for happier living.
Next planned purchase: New dining chairs for our home in Maine, found the perfect ones in Old Town.
ALEXANDRIA
What do you love about Alexandria Stylebook? Stylebook is the pulse of Alexandria. It shares the same vision I do of shopping local, supporting independent businesses, especially women-owned ones.
Favorite spot in Alexandria: Walking from Waterfront Park to Windmill park and around Fords Landing
Your go-to shop(s): Bellacara, Monday’s Child, Old Town Books, Penny Post
Best food spot(s): Momo Sushi, Ada’s On The River, Misha’s Coffee, Pitango Gelato
Favorite local organization(s): The Campagna Center, Running Brooke, ACT for Alexandria
Annual Alexandria event you most look forward to: Scottish Christmas Walk, iconically Old Town! Plus I've chaired every one of the events over the years and helped turn the Scotch Tasting into the jewel in the crown event of the weekend.
