Jennifer Abadi is the author and illustrator of A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma's Fritzie's Kitchen and currently assists others in writing and preserving their own family recipes. Her area of expertise covers and range of cuisines, such as Syrian, Indian, Moroccan, Iraqi, Egyptian, Yemenite, Persian, Greek, Armenian, Georgian and Turkish. Jennifer is an active member of The New York Women's Culinary Alliance and contributing chef on various websites. Her website is fistfuloflentils.com.
Robin Asbell is the author of The Whole Grains Cookbook, The New Vegetarian Cookbook, and Big Vegan: 400 Meat-Free and Dairy-Free Recipes due to come out in the fall of 2011. After baking and cooking with whole foods in restaurants, delis and co-ops for many years, she became a private chef. She writes for magazines such as Real Food and Vegetarian Times and blogs at robincooksveg.wordpress.com. Her website is robinasbell.com.
Dynise Balcavage is the author of Celebrate Vegan: 200 Life-Affirming Recipes for Occasions Big and Small and The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine. A professional writer for 20+ years, Dynise has also penned 10 books for young readers and 300+ articles for newsstand magazines including VegNews, Publish and Végétariens magazine (in French). Dynise has been interviewed in The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune and has done cooking demonstrations across the globe, from New York to Paris. She lives in Philadelphia and blogs at urbanvegan.net.
Andrea Beaman is a whole foods chef, food expert, inspirational teacher, television personality and the author of Health is Wealth - Make a Delicious Investment in Your Body The Whole Truth, How I Naturally Reclaimed My Health and You Can Too! and The Eating and Recipe Guide - Better Food, Better Health. She has her own health and wellness show called Fed Up! and is the host of Wise Up! Andrea has successfully healed her "incurable" thyroid disease with a healthy diet, exercise and alternative therapies. She studied at the Kushi Institute, Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and in her own healing kitchen. Andrea was also a contestant on Bravo's Top Chef (Seasons 1 & 5). Her website is andreabeaman.com.
Celine Beitchman, is an instructor, private chef and food stylist and holds an advanced certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Trained at 3-star restaurants in Paris and New York, she honed her culinary skills in high-end catering establishments, retail food stores, natural food restaurants, bakeries, and private clubs. Some of her most delicious experiences came during a journey through Southeast Asia where she learned about regional flavors from indigenous home cooks. Celine is an instructor in the CTP and teaches raw and living foods in the curriculum.
Peter Berley, former Executive Chef at Angelica Kitchen in NYC, is a private chef, caterer, and former owner of the Fire Pond Restaurant in Blue Hill, Maine. Peter has been active in the natural foods movement for over 25 years. His food has been featured on the Food Network and Chef du Jour. He is the author of The Flexitarian Table: Flexible Meals for Meat Lovers, Vegetarians, and Everyone In Between; Fresh Food Fast, A Modern Vegetarian Guide to Seasonal Menus in Minutes; and The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. His website is peterberley.com.
Marcia Berry is a nutritional coach with a private health counseling practice in New York City. A graduate of the Strengthening Health Institute in Philadelphia and The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, she specializes in teaching about the power of whole foods. In addition to her private practice, Marcia writes on health-related topics for consumer and educational publications, and lectures on a wide variety of topics related to nutrition and health. She also teaches private and group vegetarian and macrobiotic cooking classes.
Peter Bongiorno, N.D., L.Ac., is both a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist practicing in New York City and Long Island. After researching at Yale University and the National Institutes of Health in the field of clinical neuroendocrinology, Dr. Bongiorno completed his naturopathic medicine training at Bastyr University. He is a major contributing author of the 3rd edition of the Textbook of Natural Medicine and lectures on the subject of natural medicine nationally and at local medical schools. His website is innersourcehealth.com.
Alexandra Borgia is a graduate of the New York Restaurant School and the NGCTP. She is an instructor in the CTP and has many years of restaurant experience, both as a chef and consultant. She is also a personal chef to clients with specific nutritional needs.
Andrea Candee is a certified master herbalist, holistic health consultant, and the author of Gentle Healing for Baby and Child....A Parent's Guide (Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books), 2001. She teaches and lectures at education centers and the New York Botanical Gardens and specializes in Lyme Disease. Andrea has created and hosted the TV and radio shows: The Healing Power of Herbs and Revealing Secrets for Mind and Body. Her website is andreacandee.com.
Annmarie Cantrell, M.Ed., has worked with special needs children for the last 20 years. After graduating from the NGIHCA, she began assisting families of children with special needs in implementing diet changes to promote healing. Annmarie has developed Food for HOPE - Healthy Options for Picky Eaters - a step by step process that is used to encourage children to eat REAL food. She conducts workshops, cooking classes and “Cooking Circles,” and teaches extensively on the principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation, the Body Ecology Diet and the GAPS diet. Annmarie also runs weeklong cooking camps for children 5 and older on her farm in PA., setting the foundations for healthy eating habits. Her website is www.cucinaverde.com.
Leslie Cerier is a chef, educator, environmentalist, photographer, and author of five cookbooks. She teaches vegetarian cooking for health, vitality and pleasure nationwide. Leslie's expertise in culinary nutrition helps clients translate challenging dietary allergies into culinary success and meal satisfaction. Her website is lesliecerier.com.
Eric Childs is the founder of KBBK Kombucha Brooklyn. A perfectly natural progression from his culinary training at Punch Restaurant and his training as a wine sommelier at Wined Up, Eric set out to create a kombucha that had both the health-giving properties of the full-strength ferment AND a balanced and delicious flavor profile. Eric has an Advanced Certificate from the International Wine Center and has taught classes throughout New York City. His website is kombuchabrooklyn.com.
Korrie Chichester, a graduate of the NGIHCA, is a vegan chef and Executive Pastry Chef at Vegan Divas. She is the former head chef of Organic Heights, an organic vegan restaurant in Park Slope, and has worked for Babycakes NYC as a vegan gluten-free baker. Korrie also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship.
Wai Hon Chu is the co-author of The Dumpling: A Seasonal Guide (HarperCollins, October 2009). The book includes over 130 traditional recipes from around the world, many of which are vegetarian or vegan. Previously, he was the owner and chef of El Eden Chocolates, makers of handcrafted chocolates in New York's East Village. He currently teaches a variety of cooking classes in NYC.
Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., is a health educator, award-winning writer, consultant and lecturer. She is the founder
and CEO of The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts and Institute for Food and Health in NYC, which offer, respectively, career programs and public classes in health-supportive cooking and natural healing. She also teaches frequently at the Open Center and The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and has spoken at many wellness conferences and seminars. She is the author of several books including Food and Healing, which has been translated into six languages, including Spanish and Italian. Her latest book The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones - A Holistic Approach was released in 2009. She has been writing the column Food and Your Health for New York Spirit magazine since 1988. Dr. Colbin offers private wellness consultations, which can be booked through NGI, and she is generally recognized as an expert on the subject of food and health. Her personal website is foodandhealing.com.
Fran Costigan is a trendsetter in the field of organic vegan desserts, a veteran teacher, consultant, and the author of More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally and Great Good Desserts Naturally. She is a graduate of the New York Restaurant School and the NGCTP, and a former pastry chef at several establishments including Angelica Kitchen. Fran has been a featured chef at Dr. John McDougall's Celebrity Chef Weekend, NAVS Summerfest, Toronto VegFest, Earthsave Taste of Health and more. She has also been featured on the Discovery Health Channel and Nightline. Consumer Eyes Company selected Fran as "one of the most interesting players in the food and drink arena" for their Food Trend Experience, an online video interview platform. Her website is francostigan.com.
Vera Eisenberg is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and did her externship at Chez Panisse in Berkeley under the tutelage of Alice Waters. She has worked at Felidia and Verbena in New York. Vera is a native of Budapest and learned to cook and make strudel from her mother using ingredients from the garden. She is working on her forthcoming book The Sensual Strudel. She is also a food stylist for Paula Deen’s show on the Food Network.
Judith Friedman is the Program Director of the NGIFH and a cooking instructor. She spent many years as a personal chef successfully cooking for people with diabetes who ultimately were taken off medication. She is a contributing chef to myfoodmyhealth.com and taught an 11-part baking program to pregnant teens and unwed mothers living in foster care at New York City's Inwood House. Judith is also a graduate of the NGCTP.
Terry Frishman, M.B.A. from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, is a creative food marketing and business consultant. She has won many awards successfully managing businesses and launching products for Kraft General Foods Corporation and Newsweek International and has taken start-up culinary businesses to the next level. Terry has served as a director on various boards and teaches food business classes, seminars, and workshops through her company Creative Marketing Workshops. Her website is creativemarketingworkshops.com.
Jacques Gautier is a graduate of the NGCTP and owner and executive chef of Palo Santo in Park Slope. His avid support of the NYC Greenmarkets is reflected in his daily changing menu. Drawing influence from his Caribbean family roots, Jacques's cooking offers an eclectic take on traditional Latin American cuisine. At age twenty Chef Gautier was invited to cook at the James Beard House and he is listed as one of Starchef's "Chefs to Know." Jacques participates in charity events and volunteers his time to teach Brooklyn public school students about the delights of healthy cooking. His website is palosanto.us and his blog is chefjacques.wordpress.com.
Archana Gogna, C.N.S, M.S., M.B.A., is a nutritionist with experience in all phases of nutritional counseling. Her career began as a staff nutritionist at a multidisciplinary clinic where she helped patients suffering from a range of chronic diseases including cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, and cardiac conditions. She subsequently joined InVite Health, a small but highly regarded chain of nutritional pharmacies in the NYC area, and currently serves as their Director of Nutrition. Archana has hosted numerous radio broadcasts for InVite Health and teaches Human Nutrition at the NGIHCA.
Jill Gusman, author of Vegetables from the Sea, is a veteran chef instructor at the NGIHCA. She brings over 20 years experience, commitment and passion to teaching about natural foods and health. Jill is also a food writer, lecturer, private chef and avid gardener. A graduate of the Kushi Institute, Jill combines macrobiotic philosophy and Ayurvedic knowledge into everyday cooking. She has appeared on Discovery Health, NPR, and was interviewed by Gary Null. Most recently she created "Kids in the Kitchen" for Kidzone TV at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Jill loves the great outdoors, is a wild food enthusiast, and has worked closely with Lyme disease and all its challenges.
Terry-Anya Hayes is a writer, herbalist, and educator who lectures widely and leads wild food, herb and mushroom identification walks wherever the plants and fungi beckon. She has been a guest on radio and TV, teaches medicine-making and medicinal mushroom workshops, and created The Feast of Words: Writing About Food for Profit & Delight for the International Women's Writing Guild, where she has been an instructor for more than a decade. Terry-Anya is a past president of the New York Mycological Society. Her website is terryanya.com.
Alexandra Jamieson is a graduate of the NGIHCA and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She currently works as a writer, blogger, cooking teacher, and certified holistic health counselor. Alex is the author of The Great American Detox Diet, Vegan Cooking for Dummies and Living Vegan for Dummies. She is a featured blogger on CrazySexyLife.com, and Dr. Oz’s Sharecare.com and has been blogging about food and health since 2003.
Victoria Boyt Kaufman is a business consultant with a long-standing commitment to environmental issues. She chaired the Englewood, New Jersey Environmental Commission and was named to the Board of Trustees for the NJ State Association of Environmental Commissions. She has a Master's Degree in both Earth and Environmental Science and Journalism from Columbia University.
Sarah K. Khan, M.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., has studied and worked at the crossroads of food, culture, and healing for nearly 20 years. She has unique training in public health, nutrition and ethnobotany. Her research on food and culture has led her to travel and live in Europe, South Asia, China, the Middle East, Turkey, and Bangkok. Her multimedia programs on food and culture can be found on her website at tastingcultures.org. She writesan Eat to Heal column on zesterdaily.com.
Myra Kornfeld is the author of The Healthy Hedonist Holidays: A Year of Multi-Cultural Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts; The Healthy Hedonist: More Than 200 Delectable Flexitarian Recipes for Relaxed Daily Feasts; and The Voluptuous Vegan. She is a restaurant menu consultant and the recipe coordinator and editor for myfoodmyhealth.com. Myra is a veteran teacher, cooking party director, and magazine contributor. Her website is myrakornfeld.com.
Richard LaMarita is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education and has been a chef/instructor since 1986. He has worked in many popular restaurants in NYC including Tabla. He has been practicing and studying Ayurveda for 25 years. He holds a Master's Degree from Maharishi Vedic University and has worked with accomplished Ayurvedic masters such as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Dr. B.D. TriGuna. He has led seminars on Ayurveda, Diet and Nutrition, Cooking, Yoga, and Meditation throughout the US, in Europe, and in Asia. Presently, he is a chef instructor at the NGIHCA, teaches classes in specialty and ethnic cooking, and is a private chef.
Renée Loux has been a trendsetter in the environmental and sustainable food movements for more than a dozen years. As an author, eco-consultant, television personality, chef, restaurateur, and monthly columnist for Women's Health Magazine, she is a leading expert in the field. She founded one of America's first raw food restaurants, the Raw Experience, in 1996 and has published 4 books including The Whole Green Catalog, Easy Green Living, The Balanced Plate, and Living Cuisine. She is the host of It's Easy Being Green and appears as a frequent green-expert on various TV shows. Her website is reneeloux.com.
Jenny Matthau, Director and President of the NGIHCA, is a 1985 graduate of the NG double Apprentice and Teacher's Training Programs. She was head chef of the NG's Friday Night Dinners during 1987-1988 and has worked as a private chef. She is responsible for curriculum development for the NGCTP, which includes the incorporation of current research/theories from the medical and scientific communities concerning food, health, and disease.
Sarma Melngailis is the co-founder of Pure Food and Wine in New York City and founder and CEO of One Lucky Duck. She is also the co-author of Raw Food/Real World and Living Raw Food.
Silvana Nardone is a food lifestyle expert, magazine editor and motivational speaker. She is the editor-in-chief of the all-digital, gluten-free magazine Easy Eats and the author of Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals and publisher of Silvana’s Kitchen. She was the founding editor-in-chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray, coauthored Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian and was an editor at Food & Wine magazine before opening her successful Italian bakery, Fanciulla. Her website is silvanaskitchen.com.
Julie Negrin M.S., is a certified nutritionist and cooking instructor. She is the author of Easy Meals to Cook with Kids, a cookbook for parents and children. Julie spent 5 years as the Director of Culinary Arts at the JCC in Manhattan. She has been a guest chef on Sesame Street and the Today Show with Al Roker. She currently teaches and conducts trainings for various schools, organizations and companies in Seattle and NYC. Her website is julienegrin.com.
Mamie Nishide is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education and trained at Le Bernardin and Country Living Magazine. Her company does private cooking classes and catering at private homes and corporate offices. Mamie also does recipe testing and development as well as food styling for various magazines and corporations. She is a certified sake sommelier, approved by the Sake Service Institute in Japan. Her companies are japanesecookingstudio.com GottaEatSweets.com.
Stefania Patinella, a graduate of the NGCTP. In 2005, she was awarded a Fulbright fellowship for a food and farming project in Italy, where she worked on family farms from Sicily to the Alps to learn about sustainability; vegetable, olive and herb cultivation; artisanal cheese-making; food-canning and preservation; pasta-making; and traditional bread-making. She is Director of Food and Nutrition programs at The Children's Aid Society in NYC where she creates and runs Go!Healthy, a healthy eating and cooking program for disadvantaged children and families.
Christina Pirello is the Emmy Award-winning host of the television series Christina Cooks! and the author of five cookbooks, including the bestselling Cooking the Whole Foods Way, which was named the healthiest cookbook of the decade by the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine. She holds a master's degree in nutrition and is an expert in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Acupuncture. Her website is christinacooks.com.
Laura Pole is a graduate of the NGCTP and an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist with over 30 years' experience caring for people with cancer and other serious illness. Laura is currently head chef for the Smith Farm Center for the Healing Arts Cancer Help Program and has a position with the Palliative Care Partnership of the Roanoke Valley as Palliative Care Coordinator and Consultant. Through her business, Eating for a Lifetime, she provides consultation and education to patients and professionals in how to translate diet prescriptions into delicious health-supportive food. Her website is eatingforalifetime.com.
Elliott Prag is a full-time instructor in the CTP and a part-time instructor in the public classes. In addition to a careers as a teacher, restaurant chef, caterer, and recipe developer for Vegetarian Times, Elliott has spent 8 years working as a personal chef for clients in New York City. He is a graduate of the NGCTP.
Carrie and Andrew Purcell created the blog Pictures & Pancakes as a creative outlet to share recipes, images, and the world of food. Both Carrie and Andrew work professionally in advertising and editorial venues. Carrie is a food stylist, culinary school graduate, pastry chef, and published recipe writer/developer for clients such as Vegetarian Times, Chronicle Books, Fine Cooking, and Williams Sonoma. Andrew is a photographer for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Food Network magazine, Real Simple, Travel Channel and Weight Watchers.
Robin Puskas is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and owner of New York Kitchen Co., a company that provides personal chef and recipe development services. Robin has written over 100 recipes for the Greenmarket Recipe Series and regularly performs cooking demonstrations at the Union Square Greenmarket. She has also worked as a featured chef at the New York Winestand, a market vendor dedicated to New York State wines, where she provided local food pairings to go with local wine tastings at farmers' markets around the city.
Rebecca Reilly is the author of Gluten-Free Baking (Simon and Schuster 2001) and has written articles and recipes for the magazine Living Without. She is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and received professional training from Le Notre Patisserie, the Tuscan Cooking Workshops in Florence, Italy and a chef's diploma from Madeline Kamman's Modern Gourmet Cooking School in Boston. She is the former owner of the Madd Apple Café and Rebecca's Kitchen. For ten years, Rebecca was featured as the on-air chef in cooking segments on WCSH News Center 6 and hosted the popular television series New England Kitchen.
Barbara Rich graduated from the California Culinary Academy in 1994 after which she worked at the Zuni Café in San Francisco. Since moving to New York in 1997, she has worked for Anne Rosenzweig, Peter Hoffman, and was the executive chef at Danal in the East Village. Barbara is a full-time instructor in the CTP.
Leticia Moreinos Schwartz was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro and is the author of The Brazilian Kitchen: 100 Classic and Contemporary Recipes for the Home Cook. After finishing college she moved to NYC and enrolled at the French Culinary Institute where she graduated with degrees in both Culinary and Pastry Arts. She continued her training at Le Cirque 2000, La Grenouille, La Caravelle, and Payard Patisserie & Bistro. She teaches cooking classes in CT with a focus on Brazilian cuisine. Her website is chefleticia.com.
Sherrill Sellman, N.D., board certified in Integrative Medicine, is an educator, women's natural health lecturer, host of two weekly radio shows, senior editor and contributing writer to numerous publications. She is the best-selling author of Hormone Heresy: What All Women MUST Know About Their Hormones and What Women MUST Know to Protect Their Daughters from Breast Cancer and Salba: The Return of the Ancient Seed. Her website is whatwomenmustknow.com.
Louisa Shafia is the IACP award-nominated author of Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life, a collection of seasonal recipes along with advice on eco-friendly cooking, food shopping, and entertaining. A graduate of the NGCTP, she has cooked at many notable restaurants such as Aquavit and Pure Food and Wine. Louisa has created original recipes for the magazines Whole Living, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and ReadyMade. Her website is lucidfood.com.
Kristin Slaby is a raw food chef and educator who received certification from the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in California and 105degrees in Oklahoma. She also has taken extensive courses at Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida and the Anne Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico. Her classes teach the philosophy behind the raw food lifestyle. Her website is kristinsrawkitchen.com.
Denise Straiges, CCH, RS Hom (NA), a CTP graduate and professional homeopath, is the founder of well4good, a sustainable model for well-being that includes food, movement, meditation and holistic healing, including Alive Kitchen, is a service for people in recovery, families with special dietary considerations, and anyone interested in increasing vitality. Denise is the Coordinator of Program Development for NGIFH. Her blog is lifestylerevolution.typepad.com.
Pierre Thiam, born in Dakar, Senegal, is the owner of Le Grand Dakar restaurant in Brooklyn and the author of Yolele! Recipes from the Heart of Senegal. In 2010, Pierre appeared on Iron Chef America battling wits against Bobby Flay. He was raised both in the cosmopolitan city of Dakar and in the rustic region of Senegal's coastal province of Casamance and his food reflects both cultures. His website is granddakar.com.
Rea Varveris, a native of Cyprus, graduated from the Culinary Arts Program at The New School and went on to teach Cypriot-Greek cooking classes there, at the Culinary Center of New York, and the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. She was the assistant banquet manager at the Pierre Hotel in NYC and at the Golden Sands Hotel in Cyprus. Rea was also the manager of Loumides Foods and Artopolis Bakery in Astoria, Queens and cooks and bakes with passion from her homeland.
Denny Waxman is an internationally known teacher, counselor and writer in the fields of health, natural healing and macrobiotics. In 1982 he successfully guided Dr. Anthony Sattilaro, then President of Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia, to a complete recovery from terminal prostate cancer. This experience is documented in Dr. Sattilaro's book, Recalled By Life. In 1997, Denny founded The Strengthening Health Institute and has an active health-counseling practice in Philadelphia and New York. He is also the author of 10 Steps to Strengthening Health, The Great Life Handbook, The Great Life Diet, and is currently at work on The Power of Food. Denny was the recipient of the 2005 Aveline Kushi Award for recognition of his long-term service to macrobiotics. His website is dennywaxman.com.
Jay Weinstein is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and the author of The Ethical Gourmet, The Everything Vegetarian Cookbook, and The Cup of Comfort Cookbook. He is currently working on a book about sustainable use of water resources. Jay has worked in some of the finest restaurants on the East Coast including Le Bernardin. A contributor to The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, and numerous other publications, Chef Weinstein is passionately serious about culinary ethics, but he is equally serious about the pleasures of eating. Exceptional natural and sustainable ingredients play a central role in Jay's work and his repertoire includes influences from the country's finest chefs and educators, as well as from his own insatiable curiosity about undiscovered cuisines and ingredients. He is also a NGCTP instructor. His website is jayweinstein.com.
Hideyo Yamada is a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and is a holistic health counselor specializing in vegan and gluten-free cuisine. She works as a private chef and cooking instructor, preparing organic, vegetarian and allergy-free gourmet meals. In the past she has worked as a pastry chef at Kai restaurant in NYC as well as Kyotofu and trained as a sushi chef in Japan. Her website is hideyocooking.com.
