Report on the Celebrity Chef Weekend of July 14 to 16, 2006

Over 70 people attended the first celebrity chef weekend.  They sat glued to their seats as experts from around the country dished out high quality entertainment and education.  The food was all low-fat vegan, but it was clear to all this was not a maximum weight loss weekend.  They ate and they ate during presentations and then they ate some more during regularly scheduled meals. 

Look in this month’s newsletter recipe section for a recipe contribution from each of our celebrity chefs.

Chef Kevin Dunn
Vegan Culinary Instructor, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Kevin has spent the last seven years at the prestigious New England Culinary Institute in Vermont where he fostered his vegetarian cuisine. He is presently in the process of writing a vegan cookbook which he believes will change many of the misconceptions of vegetarian cuisine.  Kevin joined the nationally renowned Hospitality Education Department at Grand Rapids Community College in August of 2003. His responsibilities are for the direction of the Advanced Food Production Class which operates the Heritage Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant run by the students. The menu of the Heritage is an eclectic blend of classic cuisine and vegetarian alternatives.

Recipes:
Strawberry Radish Salad
No Fat Lemon Vinaigrette
California Zinger
Grapefruit Chili Dressing
Candied Almonds
Sweet Pickled Bananas
Queen Victoria Lawn Cocktail
Chinese Burnt Long Beans
Panzanella Salad
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo a la Carbonara
Smoked Tofu Bacon
Vegan Pasta Puttanesca
Heaven and Hell

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, the Compassionate Cook, injects excitement for preparing healthy meals into the participants of the 10-day residential McDougall Program.  She founded her non-profit organization, the Compassionate Cooks in order to empower people to make informed choices and to debunk myths about vegetarianism.  She teaches monthly cooking classes, nutrition workshops, and recently produced a cooking DVD.  With her welcoming manner and practical style she teaches these grateful people the medicine they need – healthful low-fat vegan cooking.

Recipes:
Tangy Tempeh Salad
Mushroom Pecan Burgers
Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce
Creamy Caesar Salad with Oil-Free Croutons
Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes & Herbs
Tantalizing Thai Slaw a.k.a. Holy Slaw
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew with Couscous


 

Roberta Joiner

Roberta has always loved food - studying it, cooking it and eating it!  She lost 45 pounds four years ago shortly after starting the McDougall Program. Her particular interest is in pressure cooking - she owns 9 of them and uses up to 5 at one time when preparing meals for the week or for dinner guests or classes.  Roberta is committed to sharing her joy of cooking with other fellow "McDougallers" - both at the McDougall Programs as well as on-line and occasionally in her home.   Her goal is to maximize her time when cooking so that she has time to golf with her husband, Mark, sew and quilt, teach robotic quilting, swim with her dogs and generally enjoy life, while still eating healthfully.

Recipes:
Pressure cooking grains, beans & soups as a timesaver
Mushroom Stroganoff
Pesto
Mexican Grains & Beans
Quinoa Salad with Honey, Lime & Cilantro Dressing
Bean Dip
New Mexican Pinto Bean Soup
Double Mushroom Barley Soup
Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil
Marinated Cucumbers with Dill 

Chef Eric Tucker:

Eric’s first formal training was at the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in New York City.  Here Eric learned to focus on healthy, natural foods. His first job as a professional chef began in 1990 at a vegetarian restaurant called Milly’s in San Rafael, CA. In the fall of 1994 Eric became head chef at the world’s most famous vegan restaurant, Millennium, in San Francisco.  He says the secret of successful cooking is to begin with the highest quality ingredients.  Eric Tucker is the author of the award-winning Millennium Cookbook and the Artful Vegan.

Recipes:
Chilled Yellow Doll Watermelon Soup
Steamed Corn and Hijiki Cakes with a Ginger – Peach Salsa
Roasted or Grilled Portobello Mushroom over a Spelt Berry and Black Bean Salad with an Orange – Basil Cream

Emily Barth Webber:

Emily runs Salud!: the Cooking and Lifestyle School at Whole Foods Market in Sacramento, CA.  She has been a vegan for 4 years and as a result lost 45 pounds over a one year period.  She just produced the first Vegan Day at Whole Foods Market on June 3^rd and it was a smashing success!  She is working on writing her first cookbook filled with classic, fresh seasonal cuisine (vegan, naturally).    

Recipes:
Fennel, Cherry Tomato and Arugula Salad with Tarragon-Mint Dressing
Fettuccine in Cream Sauce with Summer Vegetables and Herbs from Provence
Grilled Stone Fruit with Spiced Blueberry Zinfandel Reduction and Orange Blossom Cashew Cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nawar Laham:

Nawar was born in Damascus, Syria. His mother was the best cook in the family, so he was raised with a lot of flavors on the kitchen table.  He followed his older brother to Los Angeles in the mid 1980s and studied engineering. They had a dream of owning a restaurant.  When he and his brother moved to Santa Rosa in 1991 they opened the East West Café. Their model is to prepare from basic ingredients everything that is served in the restaurant and to serve healthy food that they can be proud of.

 

Recipes:
Barley Vegetable Soup 
Butternut Squash Soup
 

Mary McDougall:

Mary is the co-founder of the McDougall Program and author of more than 2500 recipes—many of which have been published in 10 national best-selling McDougall books.

Recipes:
Hash Brown Potatoes
Fluffy Pancakes
Cashew Milk
Veggie Benedicts                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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