Alyx Holliday refuses to let rare disease stop him
Friedreich’s Ataxia is a rare, life-shortening genetic disease affecting roughly 15,000 people worldwide— including 5,000 in the U.S.—that leads to severe loss of mobility, chronic fatigue, and life-threatening heart complications.
St. Cloud’s Alyx Holliday is one of the few with it, but he doesn’t let it stop him, as he said and showed at the Veterans Memorial Library at the recent debut of his new cookbook, “See Ya Around the Kitchen: A Cookbook with a Purpose.”
“I’ve been diagnosed with it since I was 5. It’s a degenerative neuromuscular disease, so if you don’t use the muscle, you are probably gonna lose the ability to use that muscle,’ he said.
Holliday said that while he considers himself fortunate compared to others, the disease has progressively impacted his daily life—impairing his speech, weakening his vision over time, and leaving him unable to stand unassisted due to muscle atrophy from long-term wheelchair use.
“Just because I have [a disability] doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of doing anything I aspire to do, such as writing,” he said.
Known as “The Handicapable Chef,” and a Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) ambassador, Holliday said he hopes readers look beyond his physical limitations and focus instead on his capability and determination.
Alyx Holliday said his cookbook, features favorite family recipes and lessons from mentors, celebrating the people and moments that inspired his craft.
“The cookbook means to me that I can share with people what I love doing and raise money for FARA,” Alyx Holliday said. “So, though I haven’t had to get well, I do want eventually my disease to be cured, and so I can say, ‘It was hard, but I did. I wrote my own cookbook.’” Alyx Holliday said he donates $5 of his purchased books to the FARA.
Niel Holliday, Alyx’s father, said his son is the driving force for this cookbook.
“It’s about him keeping active, keeping his skills active, but also sharing it with his family,” Niel said.
The Hollidays say that Alyx’s cooking is deeply rooted in family, driven by a desire to bring everyone together through food, introduce new dishes, and elevate cherished family recipes.
“One of my favorites is making meatballs,” Alyx said. “My grandfather, who passed and was Italian, told me on multiple occasions that my meatballs are the best he’s had since he was a kid, when his mom used to make them. So, it’s pretty high praise.”
Niel said the meatballs are next level.
“Whenever we go out as a family and if it’s an Italian restaurant, we’ll order the meatballs, and I don’t know how many times my wife has said, she says like, ‘Still not better than yours, Alyx,’” he said.
Early on, Alyx admitted he almost gave up cooking before he even began, doubting what he could accomplish with a disability. That changed when he saw blind chef Christine Ha win Season 3 of MasterChef.
“If she can still cook and do all these amazing things while blind,” Alyx Holliday recalled thinking, “I can do it, too.”
The book can be found on Amazon.
Alyx said that despite these physical challenges, he remains deeply optimistic, drawing hope from ongoing advancements by FARA, researchers, and physicians working toward treatments and an eventual cure.
“I hope my cookbook inspires others to see that you can make a name for yourself even with a disability,” Alyx Holliday said.
