It’s All About Food

It's All About Food - 11/26/13

Part I – Carla WestcottCruelty-Free HandbagsCarla Westcott graduated from the Parsons School of Design BFA program in 1994 and one year later founded Westcott, a designer eveningwear company. She is adjunct faculty in the Parsons BFA program and is a member of The Council of Fashion Designers of America.Carla Westcott is founder and designer at Westcott, a New York design house specializing in evening wear. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design BFA program, Westcott, a Vicksburg, Mississippi native, was recognized at Parsons with both the Jennifer George and Mary Ann Restivo Gold Thimble awards for her gown designs. She worked briefly for a Seventh Avenue dress designer before founding Westcott Design Group in 1995. She is a member of The Council of Fashion Designers of America.Westcott’s guideline in creating her modern eveningwear is one of engineered harmony. The minimal silhouettes are clean and elegant, defined by luxuriously rich fabrics and traditional construction inspired by couture sewing techniques and by her affinity and respect for architecture. She cites artists as diverse as German photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher and architect Frank Lloyd Wright as influencing her work. The details and garment construction of the garments are often drawn from architecture and its sympathetic discipline, industrial design. Pioneering the use of Swarovski crystals as graphic embellishment in her first collection, Westcott continues to develop this signature primarily on matte jersey.Carla Westcott’s collection is emblematic of stark elegance characterized by flawless draping, couture construction and detailing, and always, body-conscious shapes. Following the launch of her first collection in October 1995 by Saks Fifth Avenue, Westcott continues to attract the finest retailers in America and Canada including Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus and Holt Renfrew.For Spring 2014, Westcott launches her first handbag collection. Made exclusively of Italian textiles and hardware, the collection embodies Westcott’s esthetic of minimalist elegance. The collection is proudly manufactured in New York City’s garment district and is currently available at CarlaWestcott.com.Part II – Ricki HellerNaturally Sweet and Gluten-FreeRicki Heller is the voice behind the popular food blog RickiHeller.com, which celebrates sugar-free, gluten-free, allergy-friendly whole foods through a low-glycemic, vegan lifestyle. With over 600 foolproof recipes, humorous anecdotes and comments from two chatty canines, the blog illustrates Ricki’s philosophy that “a healthy lifestyle CAN be sweet.” In 2011, Diet, Dessert and Dogs (the blog’s name then) was nominated for the SHAPE Magazine “Best Healthy Eating Blog” and as a “Best Healthy Cooking Blog” by The Kitchn in 2013.Ricki’s latest cookbook, Naturally Sweet & Gluten-Free: 100 Allergy Friendly Vegan Desserts was published in September, 2013 and became an amazon best seller the day it was released. Her first book, Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar caught the eye of Ellen DeGeneres and is one of only three cookbooks recommended on DeGeneres’s website. Ricki has also written three anti-candida ebooks.After being diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Ricki first began to change her eating habits and realized how much the food we eat influences or health. Later, after suffering from candida and following an anti-candida diet for more than 3 years, she determined to learn more about the healing power of foods and obtained her Registered Holistic Nutritionist designation.These days, Ricki still shares her recipes through her blog, books, speaking engagements and by teaching cooking classes in the Toronto area. She is an Associate Editor for the hugely popular Simply Gluten-Free magazine, for which she writes a regular column. Her articles and recipes have also appeared in Clean Eating magazine, Living Without Magazine, Allergic Living magazine, Canadian Living Magazine, VegNews.com, The Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and others. She’s also a regular contributor to The Daily Digest (Attune Foods blog), The Balanced Platter and Fitalicious.com.Ricki’s television appearances include Canada AM, CityTV’s Breakfast Television, as a featured guest on York Region Living, In the Know, and as a regular guest on Rogers’ daytime (York Region and Toronto). She was also a speaker at the inaugural Nourished conference in Chicago in 2012.Ricki lives and works in Vaughan, Ontario, with one husband and two lab-border collie cross dogs.

It's All About Food - 11/19/13

Part I – Elle Jaffe JonesKITCHEN DIVIDEDEllen Jaffe Jones is the author of the bestseller, “Eat Vegan on $4 a Day,” and just released, “Kitchen Divided-Vegan Dishes for Semi-Vegan Households,” and is under contract for two more books, one on vegan fitness. Ellen is an accomplished endurance and sprint runner…7th in the US in her age group for the 1500 meters, 10th in the 400 meters. She has placed in 58 5K races since 2006, and was the 5th oldest female to finish the Palm Beaches Marathon, her first, in 2010. She is a certified personal trainer and running coach, and a cooking class instructor in the Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida area.Part II – Fran CostiganVEGAN CHOCOLATEChef Fran Costigan is an internationally recognized culinary instructor, author, and consultant whose innovative recipes marry healthy eating with sumptuous tastes. Fran uses organic and minimally processed ingredients to make rich moist cakes, flaky piecrusts, delightful cookies and bars, creamy puddings and much more. All are white sugar, trans fat and cholesterol free, and absolutely delicious.Fran’s cookbook, More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally, is a complete course in exceptional desserts that satisfy vegans and omnivores alike. Her highly anticipated new book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts (Running Press) will launch Fall 2013.A graduate of the New York Restaurant School and the Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran worked as a pastry chef in both traditional and vegan kitchens, before moving into the teaching kitchen over 20 years ago. Home cooks and professionals enjoy her lively classes in New York City, which include the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®, and she presents demonstrations and workshops at events throughout North America and Europe.Fran has made her celebrated “Chocolate Cake to Live For” on Fit TV, and her Organic Vegan Twinkies on ABC Nightline and on DeliciousTV. An advisory board member of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food, Fran is also a member of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance (NYWCA), Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR), the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), and the Authors’ Guild.

It's All About Food - 11/12/13

David ChristopherThe Holy Universe: A New Story of Creation For The Heart, Soul, and SpiritDavid Christopher left behind corporate and airline careers to pursue his passion for exploring the answers to humanity’s eternal question of our place in the Universe and to help bring forth a new story for our turbulent times. For the past fifteen years he has immersed himself in the works of scientists and thinkers such as Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, Elisabet Sahtouris, James Lovelock, “Big Historians” such as David Christian, and many others.The dialogues within The Holy Universe are an outgrowth of this study as well as his work with the Pachamama Alliance’s “Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream” Symposium. He wrote the book in part for people like him who call themselves “spiritual but not religious,” who are trying to make sense of the craziness going on in the world and who seek a meaningful path through the global crises we collectively face.David lives in Northern California and likes to hike and catch up on his reading and research, when not traveling around the countryside speaking about The Holy Universe.

It's All About Food - 11/05/13

Part I – Tina LeighBalanced RawTina is the founder of Haute Health and author of Balanced Raw and Superfood Juices and Smoothies. She is passionate about raising the bar on wellness and uses a variety of holistic services to support small businesses and individuals in achieving whole being transformation. She is a therapeutic chef, certified holistic health practitioner, author, public speaker, and entrepreneur.Part II – Marc BekoffWhy Dogs Hump And Bees Get DepressedMarc Bekoff is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has worked alongside leading writers and activists including Jane Goodall, Peter Singer, and PETA cofounder Ingrid Newkirk. He lives in Boulder, CO.

It's All About Food - 10/29/13

Part I – Dan Staackmann & Nicole SopkoUpton NaturalsDan Staackmann is the Founder and President of Upton’s Naturals – a completely vegan, seitan production company based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2006, Upton’s Naturals has seen tremendous growth every year that it has been operational. With an incredibly loyal customer base and ever growing retail distribution, Staackmann has succeeded in building and maintaining one of the country’s seitan production companies. Vegan for over 20 years, Dan has been a long time advocate for veganism, animal rights, and environmental sustainability.Nicole Sopko is the Vice President of Upton’s Naturals – a completely vegan, seitan production company based in Chicago, Illinois. Sopko is a certified yoga teacher of 8 years and has been vegan for over 17 years. Nicole started helping out around the Upton’s office a few years ago and her dedication to the growth of the company, and passion for their products, quickly propelled her into the role of V.P. where she now oversees multiple aspects of day-to-day operations. She also operates two yoga centers, one of which is located within the Upton’s Naturals factory building.10/29/2013Part II – Victoria BoutenkoGreen Smoothie MagicVictoria Boutenko is an author, teacher, inventor, researcher, artist and mother of three. She teaches classes on healthy living and raw food all over the world. As a result of her research and teachings, thousands of people are drinking and sharing green smoothies.Victoria Boutenko is an author of 12 Steps to Raw Foods, Green Smoothie Revolution, Raw Family Signature Dishes and Green for Life. Green for Life is an award winning, international best seller which has been translated into 26 languages with over a quarter of a million copies being sold world wide.- See more at: http://www.rawfamily.com

It's All About Food - 10/22/13

Part I – Neal Barnard Power Foods For The BrainNeal
Barnard, M.D., is the president and founder of the Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization based in Washington,
D.C. His research has been published in Scientific American, the
American Journal of Cardiology and other major journals. Dr. Barnard is
the author of six previous books, including Foods that Fight Pain and
Food for Life. A frequent lecturer appearing across the country and an
adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School
of Medicine, he lives in Washington, D.C.Part II – David Katz Disease ProofDAVID L. KATZ MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP,
is the founding (1998) director of Yale University’s Prevention
Research Center. He received his BA from Dartmouth College in three
years (1984; Magna Cum Laude); his MD from the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine (1988); and his MPH from the Yale University School of
Public Health (1993). He is a two-time diplomate of the American Board
of Internal Medicine, a board-certified specialist in Preventive
Medicine/Public Health, and a clinical instructor in medicine at the
Yale School of Medicine.Dr. Katz is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Childhood Obesity, President-Elect of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, founder and President of the non-profit Turn the Tide Foundation, and medical director for the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital
in Derby, CT. He is the principal inventor of the NuVal nutritional
guidance system, currently in roughly 1700 US supermarkets in more than
30 states, coast to coast. He holds 5 U.S. patents on other inventions,
with several patents currently pending.Dr. Katz has published
nearly 200 scientific articles and textbook chapters; innumerable blogs
and columns; nearly 1,000 newspaper articles; and authored or
co-authored 15 books to date, including multiple editions of textbooks
in both Nutrition and Preventive Medicine.

It's All About Food - 10/15/13

10/15/2013Part I – Hope BohanecThe Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?Hope Bohanec has been active in animal protection and environmental activism for over 20 years and is a nationally recognized leader and speaker in the animal protection movement. Many years ago while living eighty feet off the ground in a redwood tree so it would not be cut, Hope dedicated herself to animal and environmental causes, and has since organizing countless events, demonstrations, and fundraisers. She has lead campaigns like getting the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to sign a VegDay Resolution encouraging meat-free eating in the city and was the Sonoma County Coordinator for a statewide proposition to help protect farm animals. She co-founded the North Bay’s Compassionate Living Outreach while working as the Campaigns Director at In Defense of Animals. Hope lives with her soul mate and co-author, Cogen Bohanec, in Penngrove, California, just an hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge where they have been blissfully married for 13 years.10/15/2013Part II – John SchlimmCheesy VeganJohn Schlimm is the award-winning author of 15 books on cooking/entertaining, history, how-to, and fiction. He holds a master’s degree from Harvard University and travels the country speaking about cooking and entertaining. He lives in Pennsylvania.

It's All About Food - 10/08/13

Part I – Adrian ButashBless this FoodAdrian Butash is the author of Bless this Food. A well-known marketing and advertising professional, he studied history and culture of the world at Fordham University. He lives in Santa Barbara, CA. Visit him online at http://www.adrianarts.com.Part II – Mee Tracy McCormickMy Kitchen Cure!Mee Tracy McCormick is a Real Food and Autoimmune Cooking Expert, a Community Food Advocate and the author of My Kitchen Cure: How I cooked My Way Out of Chronic Autoimmune Disease and Prevented Cancer with Whole Foods and Healing Recipes.

It's All About Food - 10/01/13

10/1/2013Part I – Ruth HeidrichLifelong RunningAt 78 years young, Ruth Heidrich, Ph.D., is a seasoned raw vegan Ironman (or as she likes to say, “IronLADY”) Triathlete. She is the winner of more than 900 trophies, 6 Ironman Triathlons, 8 Gold Medals in the U.S.Senior Olympics, and 67 marathons including Boston, New York, & Moscow. Named One of the Ten Fittest Women in North America, she is also a breast cancer survivor and author of A Race for Life, Senior Fitness, The CHEF Cook/Rawbook, and her most recent book, Lifelong Running: How to Overcome the 11 Myths of Running & Live a Healthier Life.10/1/2013Part II – Jonathan BailorCalorie MythCollaborating with top scientists for over 10 years, analyzing over 1,300 studies, synthesizing over 10,000 pages of research, and garnering endorsements by top doctors from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, Yale, and UCLA, Jonathan Bailor is a preeminent nutrition and exercise expert and former personal trainer who specializes in using high-quality food and exercise to simplify health and fitness.He has registered over 25 patents and authored the revolutionary upcoming The Calorie Myth (HarperCollins, 12.31.13). Bailor serves as a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, hosts a popular syndicated wellness radio show, blogs on The Huffington Post, and consults for organizations around the world. His free 28-day quick-start eating and exercise guide is available at BailorGroup.com.A Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of DePauw University, Bailor lives outside of Seattle with his wife Angela and works to enable others to live better through simple, proven science.

It's All About Food - Extraordinary Vegan - 09/24/13

9/24/2013Alan RoettingerExtraordinary VeganAlan Roettinger is a writer, food designer, blogger, and public speaker. He has served clients as a private chef in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Raised in Mexico City, he acquired a taste for exotic food early on and soon developed a passion for flavor and beauty that drives his diverse, creative culinary style. Alan is passionate about empowering people to make smart choices in what they eat, and to enjoy eating well at home. His cookbooks, Omega-3 Cuisine, Speed Vegan, and Extraordinary Vegan showcase his ability to bring health and pleasure together in a wide range of dishes that are simultaneously sophisticated and accessible for the home cook.