I Eat Green - 12/28/11

Guests: Bart and Joy Pierson

Since 1988, Bart and his partner Joy Pierson have created three successful vegetarian dining establishments. Candle Cafe was the first restaurant to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association and both restaurants are at the forefront of campaigns to green the restaurant industry.  The most recent is Candle 79, one of the first upscale organic vegan restaurants in the country. 

At the vanguard of health food marketing and vegetarianism, Bart Potenza has written and lectured on the virtues of healthy eating for everyone. After studying at the City College of New York Business School, Bart was a successful art dealer for 16 years before making a change-of-career to the health food industry. His new lifestyle impressed him profoundly with his renewed vitality and sense of well being, and he wanted to share that with the public. In recent years, Bart and Joy have passionately supported the efforts of the environmental and animal rights communities, through their work in the Candle restaurants and beyond.

Bart is a proud member of Co-op America, Social Ventures Network, Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, The Presidents Club at F.A.R.M., P.E.T.A. and Farm Sanctuary. He provides a wealth of inspiration and information through his daily aphorisms, which he posts on a chalkboard in both restaurants.  A compilation of his works, “Look Two Ways on a One Way Street” is published by Lantern Books. The success of Candle Cafe and Candle 79 proves Bart’s original assertion that eating super healthy vegetarian food is a choice that impacts not only individual health, but also the health of the planet. Bart’s “daily bread” is his quest to make our world better for all humanity. He continues to be inspired by the growth and significance of the green movement.

Joy, a nutritional counselor since 1985, graduated from Tufts University Magna Cum Laude, and is certified by the Pritikin Longevity Center and Hippocrates Health Institute. Her passion for counseling and healing through great food lead her to join Bart Potenza at The Healthy Candle in 1988 where they began creating foods and menus tailored to the nutritional needs of clients from Joy’s private practice, and the Healthy Candle’s ever-growing customer base. Their partnership has flourished, and Joy and Bart have joined to create Candle Cafe, Candle 79, a growing catering and wholesale business, and the internationally best selling Candle Cafe Cookbook. 

In addition to time spent at the restaurants, Joy avidly promotes their mission beyond the restaurants’ walls. She has written and lectured extensively about food and nutrition, sharing her expertise with an ever widening audience as more and more people become mindful of the positive effects of healthful eating. She regularly leads workshops and teaches courses on diet and nutrition. Joy has appeared on The Today Show, Good Day New York, CBS News This Morning, The Food Network’s TV Food Diners, and has been a radio guest on Joan Hamburg, The Howard Stern Show, and Walden’s Pond with Sheldon Walden on NPR. Joy serves as a board member of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Lunches and Wellness in the Schools. She is also an active SVN member. Her quest is to continue changing people’s awareness of health and well being and its effect on the planet and future generations by bringing farm fresh vegan food to as many people and as many tables as possible!

Recipe: Kinpira

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I Eat Green - 12/21/11

Guest: Jonathan Bloom

Jonathan Bloom is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe. His book, American Wasteland, looks at how we waste food from farm to fork and examines the impact of our squandering. In his blog, Wasted Food, Jonathan writes about why we waste food, why it matters and what we can do about it. He lives with his wife and son in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Today's Recipe: Sweet Potato Latkes

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I Eat Green - 12/14/11

Guest: Deborah Merlin

Deborah Merlin’s mission was to become an advocate for her special needs twins. Medical professionals only offered drugs.  She sought alternative methods, did extensive ADHD and other health-related research, and kept impeccable records. In 1993, she co-chaired the Westside Cities Council to help promote Public Law 99457, part H, to implement early intervention services from birth through three years of age for children at risk. In 1990 and 1991, she coordinated outreach to pediatricians (under Public Law 99457, part H) and coordinated presentations at hospitals to educate pediatricians on early intervention services and resources for children at risk from infancy to three years of age. She is a frequent guest speaker on radio shows through out the United States and Canada.  She is a consultant to parents who need support, provides resources regarding their children’s individual needs, and she is an artist.

Today's Recipe: Tofu Cutlets with Dried Cherries, Capers and Jalapeno Pepper

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I Eat Green - 12/7/11

Guest: Frances Moore Lappe

Frances Moore Lappé is the author of eighteen books, including the just-released EcoMind, Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want (Nation Books) and the three-million copy Diet for a Small Planet. She is the cofounder of three organizations, including Food First: The Institute for Food and Development Policy and the Small Planet Institute, a collaborative network for research and education helping to bring democracy to life, which she leads with her daughter Anna Lappé. The two Lappé’s are also cofounders of the Small Planet Fund, channeling resources to democratic social movements worldwide. Lappé is recipient of eighteen honorary doctorates, as well as the Right Livelihood Award, often called the “Alternative Nobel,” and the James Beard Foundation’s “Humanitarian of the Year” award.  Gourmet Magazine chose her among twenty-five people (including Thomas Jefferson, Upton Sinclair, and Julia Child) whose work has changed the way America eats. She works in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Today's Recipe: Scallop Teriyaki - 6 servings

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