- Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, Anne Hatton Ogden uses cooking as a form of therapy.
- With guide dog Angelo and assistive tech, she shops and cooks independently and confidently.
- She favors simple, nutritious meals like sheet-pan dinners using fresh, homegrown ingredients.
Anne Hatton Ogden was 7 years old when she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive and chronic eye disease. Later in her adulthood, she lost her ability to read and became “print-disabled,” meaning she had to leave her job as a bookkeeper. But Ogden has never let the impairment of one of her senses stop her from doing the things she loves—and this includes cooking.
“Cooking became a therapy and an outlet, and it’s a way for me to share something I could succeed at with others,” Ogden tells EatingWell. She’s able to succeed in the kitchen by using some technological aids, but primarily, she depends on her sous chef, Angelo.
Angelo isn’t your typical assistant shopper and cook; he’s a yellow lab adopted through Dogs Inc, a nonprofit providing guide and service dogs at no cost to those in need.
Dogs Inc
“[Angelo and I] have been a team for three years, and he is amazing,” Ogden says. “He’s most helpful in the grocery store and shopping. He navigates me safely in the store around objects and displays so I don’t knock anything over, moves me around the people, helps me find the doors in, the doors out, the cash register and the counters.”
Once Angelo leads her to the right place, Ogden uses assistive technology on her phone: “I use my assistive technology on my iPhone. I have an app called Be My Eyes where I can either use their artificial intelligence by snapping a quick picture and get feedback of what I’m looking at, or talk to a live volunteer.”
She also has a pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which can help her identify objects hands-free. This is most helpful while cooking as the glasses will alert her what’s in frame as she chops, seasons and stirs. As for her favorite foods, Ogden admits that breakfast is more grab-and-go, but the home cook loves preparing a homemade soup and a half sandwich for lunch. But some of her favorite dishes to make are one-pan dinners that she can easily throw together.
“I have fallen in love with sheet-pan recipes because chopping is such a therapy for me,” Ogden explains. “I mean, it’s just such a stress reliever, so I find cutting my protein and my veggies up, tossing them with olive oil and herbs—I grow my own fresh herbs. They may not be attractive, but they’re herbs!” One of her favorites is a Mediterranean chicken dish that she shares in a YouTube livestream cooking show, Cooking Without Looking. Some of Ogden’s cooking inspirations include Ina Garten, as she’s a Barefoot Contessa fan. Now, alongside her recent livestream, she hosts her own cooking show at home with a canine audience.
Dogs Inc
Ogden grew up in a small farming community, so she’s used to using fresh, whole foods in her meals. That’s the epitome of what eating well means to her.
“Eating nutritious, healthy foods are important to me,” she says. And through home-grown ingredients and Angelo’s guidance while shopping, Ogden is able to enjoy them in every meal.
