As a nutritionist, Joy always believed in making healthy food beautiful and tasty. After a cup of vegan stew revealed the power of food to energize as well, she set out to make vegetarian food beautiful and tasty too.
Joy's Story
"I believe that food is the basic element of well being."
I became a nutritionist to carry out my commitment in life: to make healthy food presentable, beautiful and tasty. For 20 years, I worked with a lot of different physicians helping people heal from disease using the standard food pyramid. One day I ate a tempeh stew at this small take out and delivery place called Candle Café, and I felt my energy quadruple. Here I was teaching three-and-a-half ounces of animal protein, but when I tried a vegan diet in my own body, the results were incredible. It was like I saw a good movie and I wanted to share it with everybody. My partner, Bart, and I decided to open Candle 79, a gourmet vegan restaurant to bring vegan cuisine to an even higher level of elegance.
"It's harder to change people's eating habits than it is to change their religion or their politics."
Vegetarianism has always had a reputation of being bland, and, sadly, our ideas about food are embedded in us pretty strongly. But many people don't realize that you don't have to make huge adjustments to have a healthier diet. You can still have your grandmother's recipe. I take my grandmother's recipe and I make it into a culinary delight using organic vegan ingredients, and it tastes better. We really don't have to let go of our heritage or our history of food, we just have to update it based on the new information we have. We have to move with the times.
"There's probably not a disease out there that couldn't be helped by proper nutrition."
In my studies as a nutritionist, I saw that there was such a correlation between nourishing the body and prevention of disease - even reversal of disease. Food is fuel. We have to ask ourselves, what we can put in our bodies to make them run better? Changing your diet doesn't have to be morose. I think the issue for many people is that healthier diets aren't fun enough, but you can have beautiful, fun food like we make at my restaurant. There's no deprivation here at all. A lot of us think we know what's going to nourish us, but the best quality food that nourishes us is really fresh from the farm. That's what we serve.
If you want to start exploring healthier food options without giving up the joy in eating, try following this simple approach:
1. Don't be afraid of new foods.
We're in a new era. We have different sources of plant proteins, which are much more readily available for the body to use. Here are some examples:
- Tempeh(soy-based) is very easily digestible and delicious - but it needs to be prepared well. You can crumble it and sauté it like ground beef. It's tricky to master it, but once you do, you can use it for anything.
- Tofu(soy-based) can take on any flavor, and you can marinate it in anything. You can make it into a cutlet, or you can make it into cubes. It's white and gelatinous and it's got a funny name, so it has a tough time in terms of how we look at it. People think it's weird, but if you prepare it properly, it's quite delicious.
- Seitan(wheat meat) is my favorite because it's so versatile. It's a plant-based protein, but it's got the texture of animal protein. People tell me they've had the best lamb they've ever had at my restaurant. People have thanked me for giving them the best veal dish they've ever had. It was really seitan they were eating. You can make great burgers out of it, and you can't even tell that it's not animal protein.
2. Make changes that work for you.
If you don't live in a major metropolitan area and don't have access to the types of produce and health food stores that we have in New York city, make changes that work for you. Make this part of a lifestyle that you're going to feel comfortable with. Use my cookbook to make tempeh or seitan from scratch, maybe with your family. Don't feel that you're deprived in any way, shape or form.
3. Make it an adventure.
Make it fun. Make it exciting. Learn how to cook with your friends and family. Buy a tape that will teach you more about vegetarian cooking. Visit your local farmers market. Farmers markets are so important. Meet your farmers, have potluck dinners with other friends, get in the kitchen with friends and try to make things up. Have a great time, and then share food with people that you love.
