Conscious Cooking with Rev. Diane Kolack, HHC

Conscious Cooking is an organization that I founded to merge my interests in

healing through whole-foods nutrition and teaching others how to cook. I lead hands-on cooking classes for small groups, couples and individuals. My philosophy of cooking is based on an omnivore's pantry with a major emphasis on fresh, local ingredients, and cooking on a budget. Classes tend to run seasonally and have a theme - such as Pantry Cooking, Get Sauced!, and Cooking for One. In addition to graduating from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (which is affiliated with Columbia University) I have taken classes at Annmarie Colbin's Natural Gourmet Cookery School in NY. For information about nutrition counseling and cooking classes, visit www.conscious-cooking.com.

As a food justice advocate, I am proud to have been an integral part of the campaign for the banning of trans fat oils in New York City restaurants in 2006 by initiating a movement of consumer education and letter writing to the NYC Department of Health. As a result of this legislation, in NYC alone, 500 deaths per year from heart disease will have been prevented. I am featured in Sustainable Table's Eat Well Guide, as a founding member of Sunnyside Community Supported Agriculture, which brings local, organic produce to over 140 families in my neighborhood in Queens. My favorite food-based organizations to volunteer for are Just Food and God's Love We Deliver.

The thing about food is that you're a much happier person
if you eat well and treasure your meals. - Julia Child