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.
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| 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.
Please note that Kevin Dunn will be
back by popular demand to share his amazing cooking skills at
our next Advanced Study Weekend, Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2006). Schedule
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 3rd 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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