It’s All About Food

It's All About Food - Guest: Eric Toensmeier & Gary De Mattei - 09.19.17

Part I: Eric Toensmeier, Project DrawdownEric Toensmeier is the award-winning author of Paradise Lotand Perennial Vegetables, and the co-author of Edible Forest Gardens. He is an appointed lecturer at Yale University, a Senior Biosequestration Fellow with Project Drawdown, and an international trainer. He has studied useful perennial plants and their roles in agroforestry systems for over two decades. He is the author of The Carbon Farming Solution: A Global Toolkit of Perennial Crops and Regenerative Agricultural Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Food Security. Part II: Gary De Mattei, Autumn in NYGary De Mattei is the co-founder and Creative Director of Responsible Eating and Living. Gary is an actor, director, producer, filmmaker, writer, teacher and trained chef. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the nonprofit theatre company, The Artist’s Theatre Repertory Ensemble (TheATRE). Before moving to New York in 2008 Gary worked extensively in Bay Area theatre as an actor, director, writer, producer, teacher, and arts administrator. He was the co-founder and producing artistic director of Theatre On San Pedro Square (TOSPS) in San Jose from January of 2000 to April of 2008. During that time Gary produced plays and musicals that showcased local, national and international theatre artists. Gary was the Theatre Department Chair at Presentation High School in San Jose. During his tenure at Presentation Gary directed plays and musicals and taught acting. His theatre department was awarded the prestigious Best High School Musical Award from the American Musical Theatre. Gary is a Bay Area Theatre Critics Award nominee for his portrayal of Fiorello H. LaGuardia in Foothill Music Theatre’s production of Fiorello. A proud member of Actor’s Equity Association, Gary trains at HB Studio in New York under the guidance of his acting teacher Austin Pendleton. For more about Gary go to his website, GaryDeMattei.com.

It's All About Food - Guest: Dean Sherzai, M.D., PhD. & Ayesha Sherzai, M.D.: The Alzheimer’s Solution - 09.06.17

Part I: Dean Sherzai, M.D., PhD. and Ayesha Sherzai, M.D., The Alzheimer’s Solution*Recent findings about the impact of lifestyle changes—diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, and healthy challenges for our brain—support the premise of this new book by leading experts in brain health.The Alzheimer’s Solution asserts great news about a dreaded disease: 90% of Alzheimer’s disease cases are preventable through lifestyle factors. While medical advances have extended our lifespans, keeping our hearts and bodies active into old age, brain science has lagged behind. Over 50% of individuals over the age of 85 suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia, and debilitating cognitive decline.The Alzheimer’s Solution is the first book for a wide readership to offer a solution to Alzheimer’s, and is essential reading for both health professionals and laypeople. The authors are leaders in the field of Alzheimer’s and cognitive health and co-directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Health (Loma Linda, CA is America’s only Blue Zone).Ayesha Sherzai is also a professionally trained cook with an emphasis on brain health. The book provides 25 easy-to-make recipes that feature the healthiest foods for the brain.
Ayesha Sherzai, MD, is Co-Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Health, where she leads the Lifestyle Program for the Prevention of Neurological Diseases. She completed a dual training in Preventative Medicine and Neurology at Loma Linda University, received a Masters degree in Advanced Research Methodology from UC-San Diego, and completed a fellowship in Lifestyle and Vascular Brain Diseases at Columbia University. She will soon complete a PhD in Epidemiology from Loma Linda University, where her dissertation focuses on nutrition and its role in cognitive aging and neurological disease. Ayesha has published more than a dozen scientific papers, and in 2015, she won the American Heart Association’s Trudy Bush Fellowship Award for Cardiovascular Disease Research in Women’s Health. She is the lead researcher in the landmark study at Loma Linda that investigates the effects of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention on individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s.
Dean Sherzai, MD, PhD, is Co-Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Health, where he was previously the Director of the Memory and Aging Center as well as Director of Research. During his years at Loma Linda, a Blue Zone community where residents live measurably longer and healthier lives, he was the lead scientist studying the effects of healthy living on cognitive aging. Dean trained in Neurology at Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed fellowships in neurodegenerative disease and dementia at the National Institutes of Health and UC-San Diego, where he studied under Dr. Leon Thal, one of the world’s most renowned dementia researchers, and Dr. Dilip Jeste, the world’s foremost specialist in cognitive aging. He also holds a PhD in Healthcare Leadership with a focus on community health, and a Masters in Public Health from Loma Linda University, where his research focused on the prevention of cognitive decline through lifestyle changes. Dean has won several awards and published numerous scientific papers, including comprehensive reviews on nutrition and neurodegenerative disease and a recent meta-analysis of cognitive training and memory improvement.
More at www.teamsherzai.com

It's All About Food - Guest: Wildman Steve Brill with Violet Brill, and Celine Ikeler, the Karma Baker - 08.29.17

Part I: Steve Brill with Violet Brill, Edible/Medicinal Wild Plants and Mushrooms PLUS Hands-on Environmental Education for KidsNaturalist-Author “Wildman” Steve Brill has been leading foraging tours in parks throughout the Greater NY area since 1982, for the public, for schools, libraries, parks departments, day camps, scouting groups, teaching farms, museums, environmental organizations, and more. His Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Places (William Morrow Publishers, 1994) is considered a classic on the subject. His innovative Wild Vegetarian Cookbook (Harvard Common Press, April, 2002) is changing the way people think of preparing gourmet food. His Shoots and Greens of Early Spring in Northeastern North America (self-published, 1986 and 2008) teaches people how the foraging season begins, and his Foraging NY covers the best plants of New York. His Foraging With the “Wildman” DVD series is showing people how it’s all done, and his Wild Edibles Forage app includes everything he knows about edible/medicinal wild plants. But he’s still best known for having been handcuffed and arrested by undercover park rangers for eating a dandelion in Central Park! To learn more, visit www.wildmanstevebrill.com.
Violet Brill is a 13-year-old naturalist. A self-taught expert on birds, she’s been co-leading half my public tours, and many private tours (schools, scouts, doctors, museums, day camps, teaching farms, birthday parties, herbalists, artists, etc.) since she was 9. The photo is of her with a 30-lb. chicken mushroom she spotted from a moving car when she was 10.   Part II: Celine Ikeler, The Karma BakerCeline Ikeler is the Karma Baker. A mother, artist, and foodie with a daily meditation practice, Celine has refined a new style of baking. She is transforming organic plant-based and gluten free ingredients into extraordinary baked goods for everyone. While she’s immersed in serving up desserts such as Karma Cakes, brownies, Karma Sandwich cookies, Cake Pops, layered cakes, donuts, pies, tarts, cheesecake, muffins, rolls, baguettes and bread loaves…it is her custom made Organic Gluten-Free Baking Flour Mix that puts the magic in all of it. A proprietary blend of vegan flours, Celine was in need of a gluten-free flour that was bean-free. After years of trial and error she magically perfected a recipe which was not only bean and nut-free, but also enhanced her overall vegan baking.
At Karma Baker in Westlake Village, California, Celine and her husband Arek share a philosophy with their employees of Enlightened Baking™ -the intention of one’s heart and mind becoming infused with food as its made. The vibration of the kitchen is high and essential to the manner in which the Karma Baker team works together and supports one another. Sharing ideas is highly encouraged with a loving kindness at every turn. The Karma Baker mission is to change the way vegan & gluten-free baking and cooking are perceived. Through baking Celine and her team want to erase stereotypes and create corrective experiences for everyone. Baking has been a lifelong solace for Celine. At age twelve, it started with boxed brownies until she worked her way up to making chocolate chip cookies from scratch. This creative (and yummy) outlet became something Celine loves to share to this day.
In 2005, she began her journey into the world of vegan baking (no eggs, wheat, butter or cream) when her neighbor’s daughter, Sofia, was unable to eat dessert due to severe dietary restriction. This felt unacceptable to Celine so she became determined to make something edible and sweet that this little girl could enjoy along with everyone else. The end result was a delicious garbanzo bean brownie that became a huge hit. In fact, Celine continued to bake for Sofia and her family and eventually discovered her own list of mild allergies to gluten, wheat, dairy and eggs. It was during this time Celine shifted becoming acutely aware of her own karmic footprint (when a person consumes animal products, their karma is affected) and as a result, chose an animal free diet. Being plant-based, inspires and moves Celine to show the world there is another way to partake in life’s pleasures of good food and delectable desserts. Karma Baker is meant to be enjoyed and she’s letting everyone know – one (gluten-free/vegan) cupcake at a time. Celine lives in Agoura Hills with her husband/business partner Arek, their four children and pet dogs and cats. She enjoys meditating, working out, hiking, backpacking, spending time with her family, creating new recipes and living a vegan lifestyle.

It's All About Food - Guest: Stacey Murphy, Grow Your Own Vegetables - 08.23.17

Part II: Stacey Murphy, Grow Your Own VegetablesStacey Murphy has helped thousands of new gardeners from 6 continents grow vegetables and herbs in small spaces, so they can enjoy fresh, affordable vegetables while creating a more sustainable future. She walks eager growers through her holistic garden system, showing what to grow, when and where. Stacey is a garden geek, growing food since 1979, and her superpower is packing, literally, tons of food into tight spaces. Dozens of her students who have trained at her backyard urban farm in Brooklyn have gone on to start their own homesteads, gardens & farms. Featured on Martha Stewart Radio and PBS’s Growing a Greener World, Stacey believes growing food organically is the best health plan for people, communities, and the earth. You can find her at GrowYourOwnVegetables.org and don’t forget to sign up to receive her best gardening tips and strategies

It's All About Food - Guest: Helen Rosenthal and Ghanim Al-Sulaiti

Part I: Helen Rosenthal, New York City CouncilHelen Rosenthal is the Councilmember for District 6. Helen’s office helps thousands of residents stay in their homes, providing monthly housing clinics with free legal service. Through her legislation, Helen has almost doubled the income requirement to qualify for rent stabilization for both seniors and people with disabilities. Helen heard from hundreds of parents, teachers, and residents, about school rezoning and supported the parents who voted to approve new zone lines to alleviate overcrowding and concentrated poverty. She has empowered workers, giving them a fair share of their work, through her worker cooperatives initiative. Helen continues to make our streets safer, our schools stronger, and our parks greener.
At City Hall, Helen introduced legislation to recognize Meatless Monday in New York and encourages residents to eat more plant-based meals once a week. Helen has also fought for animal rights and humane treatment throughout her tenure. She was a proud co-sponsor of legislation, which recently passed, to ban the use of wild and exotic animals in public performances. Further, she co-sponsored and passed a series of bills in 2014 that heighten pet shops code and standards throughout the City. You can learn more about Helen at www.helen2017.com.
Part II: Ghanim Al-Sulaiti, VIBE, Vegan CafeA vegan entrepreneur, Ghanim is the founder and driving force behind Qatar’s first vegan cafe, Evergreen Organics. He’s the Co-Founder in Cambodia of the first vegan cafe VIBE, the Founder of Botany, a vegan ethical skin care line, and founder of the Good Vibe Foundation which aims to feed 10,000 school children healthy vegan food in Cambodia. Ghanim is passionate about raising awareness about conscious living by promoting a plant based lifestyle and is invested in the holistic approach to diet and health. His goal with VIBE is to inspire people from all over the world to live a healthier lifestyle.

It's All About Food - Guest: Ann Hodgman, Vegan Food for the Rest of Us - 08.08.17

Part I: Ann Hodgman, Vegan Food for the Rest of Us.Ann Hodgman is the author of 40 children’s books and 5 cookbooks, most recently Vegan Food for the Rest of Us. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Gourmet, and just about all the parenting magazines. She lives in Litchfield County, CT, where she plays year-round ice hockey. She is married to writer David Owen, and they have two adult children—both writers.

It's All About Food - Guest: JL Fields and Jasmine Leyva - 07.25.17

Part I: JL Fields, The Vegan Air Fryer
JL Fields is the founder and culinary director of the Colorado Springs Vegan Cooking Academy. She is a Master Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator, Food for Life instructor, chef instructor in the culinary program at the University of New Mexico-Taos, personal chef, career coach, and a corporate consultant offering wellness training, brand representation, and strategic planning services.
JL is the author of The Vegan Air Fryer: The Healthier Way to Enjoy Deep-Fried Flavors (Vegan Heritage Press, June 2017) and Vegan Pressure Cooking: Delicious Beans, Grains, and One-Pot Meals in Minutes (Fair Winds Press, January 2015) and co-author of The Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook: Over 100 Plant-Sourced Recipes Plus Practical Tips for the Healthiest, Most Compassionate You (Ben Bella, December 2017) and Vegan for Her: The Woman’s Guide to Being Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet (Da Capo Lifelong Books, July 2013)She is the co-creator of The Real World Vegan Meal Plan, producer and host of the radio program Easy Vegan, and writes the monthly vegan dining review for the Colorado Springs Gazette.
JL is the owner and lead consultant for JL Fields Consulting, providing governance and strategic planning services to nonprofits and culinary and online outreach services to food associations and marketing firms. She writes the blog JL goes Vegan. Follow JL on Twitter,  Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Part II: Jasmine Leyva, The Invisible VeganJust “Jas” to her friends — she is unapologetically an artist. Born in D.C., a city that used to be more appreciative of doctors, lawyers, and politicians, she moved to Los Angeles for college to pursue her dream while completely dismissing America’s. After three years of itching to “do” and despite uninvited judgments, she left school a year shy of her degree for a TV production job. She is debt free! From there, she went on to work as an associate producer on a NAACP winning docuseries entitled Unsung, and shortly after, was given the opportunity to write and produce on Being, a docuseries highlighting dynamic entertainers in film and music. Happy to be doing what she loved, but simultaneously unhappy about putting that passion into someone else’s vision, she decided to let go of her nine-to-five and come into her own reign of pure artistry. Just Jasmine. No limits and no boss except for her own creativity. She went on to star in commercials and print ads for major brands like Nissan, Sony, Apple, Uber, American Express, Diesel, BlackPeopleMeet, Credit Sesame, Michelle Watches, Elle magazine and more. She also starred in the Lifetime show, My Crazy Ex, and is scheduled to star in her first indie film in 2017. However, she did not lay her behind-the-camera talents to rest. Jasmine and her fiancé, Kenny Leyva, are currently producing their own feature length documentary, The Invisible Vegan, a film that chronicles Jasmine’s personal experience with plant-based eating. The film also explains how plant-based eating is directly linked to African roots and how African-American eating habits have been debased by a chain of oppression stemming from slavery, economics and modern agribusiness. Not to sound pedestrian, but the sky is the limit and her evolution will be televised!

It's All About Food - Guest: Laura-Jane Koers and Laurelee Blanchard - 07.19.17

Part I: Laura-Jane Koers, Cook LivelyLaura-Jane Koers is a food writer, stylist, and photographer and the blogger behind TheRawtarian.com, known for doable, approachable plant-based recipes. She also hosts the Raw Food Podcast on iTunes. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.      
Part II: Laurelee Blanchard, Leilani FarmsLaurelee Blanchard, Founder and President of Leilani Farm Sanctuary, left a lucrative career as Senior Vice President at the national firm of Lee and Associates Commercial Real Estate Services to devote her life to animal protection and humane education. In 1999, she cashed out her life savings and moved from Orange County, California, to Haiku, Maui. There she acquired an eight-acre parcel of land, on which she created a farm sanctuary—a refuge where animals would be protected from neglect, abuse, and slaughter. Leilani Farm Sanctuary, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization, is now home to nearly three hundred rescued animals, including goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, donkeys, geese, deer, cats, pigs, sheep, turkeys, guinea pigs, tortoises, and a cow. The Sanctuary provides educational programs for school groups and special-needs visitors; it also offers tours to the general public. Since the mid-90s, Ms. Blanchard has focused her attention on the protection of farm animals. She served as a pro- bono communications director for Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM), a national non-profit that devotes its efforts to bringing to an end the practice of using living, sentient beings for food. She also worked for three years as campaign consultant to Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s largest farm-animal protection organization. In 2010, Laurelee was hired as consultant to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), specifically in its campaign to end the long-distance transport of live farm animals from the Mainland U.S. to Hawaii. She successfully negotiated with Foodland and Times Supermarket chains to implement policies against purchasing pork from pigs shipped to Hawaii, thereby reducing the number of pigs transported and slaughtered by approximately seventy-five thousand per year. In 2012, Laurelee was presented the “Vegan of the Year in North America” commendation for her outstanding animal activist work; and in 2015, she received a national award and grant from the Godiva Company for embodying the attributes of Lady Godiva through selflessness, generosity, leadership, and the spirit of giving back to the community.

It's All About Food - Guest Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment - 07.12.17

Part II: Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment – The Vegan Mos, NYC Vegan
Michael Suchman is a recovering lawyer. After practicing in the field of Corporate Litigation for 12 years, he was tired of representing corporations over the interests of individuals. Since stopping practicing, he has come to recognize that the law needs to work more on helping all individuals, regardless of species. When not running the show at Chelsea Foot and Ankle, Michael can be found either in the kitchen trying out new recipes, watching Dr. Who, or taking photos the old fashioned way, with an actual 35mm camera. You can check out his photography at here. He and Ethan are proud to be Barnyard Benefactors for Our Hen House and Guardian Circle members of The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Michael is a certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator and a proud graduate of Victoria Moran’s Main Street Vegan Academy. He is also a certified by PCRM as a Food For Life Instructor. Michael lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with his husband Ethan and their vegan dogs, Riley and Charlie.
Ethan J. Ciment is passionate about social justice and is a vocal advocate of equality for all, regardless of species. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish family, and coming from a long family line of kosher butchers, Ethan woke up in his late thirties to the realities of animal exploitation when caring for his ailing dog, Chandler. When not lending his voice to those who cannot speak for themselves, Ethan is a podiatric surgeon in private practice in at Chelsea Foot and Ankle in New York City. Ethan is proud to serve on the Board of Directors of Woodstock Farm Sanctuary. Both Michael and Ethan are proud Barnyard Benefactors for Our Hen House and Guardian Circle members of The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Ethan lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with his husband Michael and their vegan dogs, Riley and Charlie.

It's All About Food - Guest Philip Wollen - 06.29.17

Philip Wollen, The Kindness TrustIn his early thirties, Philip Wollen was Vice President of Citibank. The Financial Press rated him in the Top 40 “The Brightest and Best” headhunted executives in Australia.Traveling the world he saw egregious cruelty on such a massive scale that it affected him profoundly. By the age of 40 he was an outspoken advocate for social justice. He describes himself as a “Venture Capitalist for Good Causes”. He decided to take everything he possessed. . . Houses, factories, commercial buildings, apartments, share portfolios, everything . . .. . . . And give it away with warm hands . . .and die broke. He jokes “So far, we are right on budget!” He has supported 500 humanitarian projects for children, animals, the arts, the terminally ill, and the environment in 40+ countries. His words, articles about him and his speeches have been seen by tens of millions of people. The projects are assembled in “silos”. Kindness Kids, Kindness House, Kindness Farms, Kindness Oceans, Kindness Skies, Kindness Streets (ABC – CNVR), Kindness Mobile Restaurants, and Kindness Gold Medal & Cash Prize. One common theme of these projects is to have a strong pro-vegan theme. He supports schools, hospitals, and orphanages; shelters, museums, anti-whaling campaigns, ocean plastic clean-up, turtle hatcheries, ships, marine craft; and bay protection campaigns; bore-wells, social justice films, wildlife protection, lion camps, anti-hunting campaigns, undercover clandestine operations to eradicate trade in exotic animals, bio-gas plants, medical equipment, food, fodder and fuel supplies, oncology, road trauma, ambulances and palliative care projects; Kindness Farms growing fruit, nuts, vegetables and flowers; rehabbing land and feeding fledglings for migratory birds under his Kindness Skies program; Kindness Mobile Restaurants for impoverished street dwellers, and disaster relief. Philip likes to be invisible. The National Australia Day Council wrote: “Essentially a private man, Philip seeks no personal publicity. But he is not afraid to step into the limelight for a just cause”. Rupert Murdoch’s press described him as “reclusive”. He has spoken in the Parliament in The Hague and in the Israeli Knesset – and in Universities around the world. He has shared his views with Presidents, Heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers in in many countries.
• In 2005 he received the Queen’s Birthday Honours “The Order of Australia”.• In 2007 on Australia Day he received the award “Australian of the Year Victoria”.• In 2012 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics• In 2014 he received The Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Adelaide.