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Ken Immer: Whole Foods, Whole Life

Everyone’s been talking about gRAWnola. Now it’s time to meet the superman behind the superfood.

Only a few years ago, Ken Immer’s story was an all too common tale: working the kitchen in one restaurant after the other, going out for drinks – and stuff harder than drinks – in his off-duty hours.

He was overweight and overcompensating, trying too hard to beat back the blues with vices. Many a man in his family had gone to the grave early. One day he asked himself: Was he going to be the next in line or was he going to do something different?

He took his first step toward change in a yoga studio.

Yoga taught him to examine the reasons why he was doing what he was doing, namely, repeating negative patterns in his life.

“I got to the point where I was asked to train to become a teacher. But we had to follow a vegetarian diet while we were in training. Part of me was like, ‘No, this is a deal breaker.’ But when I examined why I was reacting that way, I saw how much of my identity was still tied into that old pattern, my old way of doing things.”

In that moment of clarity, he realized that he was making the choices he thought he was expected to make, not the choices he wanted to make. Understanding the difference completely changed the direction of his life.

“I felt better when I changed my diet,” he says. “I lost weight immediately. But I did miss the taste of the food that I used to eat. That’s one of the things about ‘health food.’ It’s often viewed as a sacrifice.”

That was the epiphany that brought Ken’s life full circle. His early years had taught him how to make food taste good. Couldn’t he apply that knowledge using healthy, wholesome foods?

Fast forward to today and Ken is a happy, healthy holistic chef. His signature gRAWnola, proof that healthy food can taste great, will soon be on Whole Foods shelves throughout the entire Southern region. He hosts a vegan potluck the first Wednesday of every month at Earth Fare, teaches classes at Trident Tech, leads an all-men’s yoga practice, will be hosting a “Mindful Eating” cooking class at Whole Foods on Sept 28 at 6pm, and has many a pot of future plans simmering on the back burner, including a cookbook.

That’s not just talking about change. That’s living it.

What’s refreshing about Ken is that even though he credits yoga and holistic food with turning his life around, he does not preach the typical “it worked for me so everyone must do it” line. By Ken’s way of thinking, many paths can lead to the same place.

Lucky for us, the Guru to lead us there is right here in Charleston.

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Story and photos by: Jason A. Zwiker