Meet our Faculty: Derek Neal
aka Mr. Smoothie.
Derek wears a number of hats: Certified Holistic Health Counselor (CHHC); Case Manager & Intake Specialist for the Jericho Reentry Program, a post-prison project of the Episcopal Community Services of Maryland; Co-Coordinator of the Baltimore Nutrition Group; and a faculty member for Food As Medicine. For Food As Medicine, he gives one of our “Keeping it Real” lectures, a window into working very simply with people to change their health and lives through food. As a CHHC, he practices what he teaches, coaching a diverse group of clients in his melting pot Baltimore neighborhood towards wellness and vitality.
One of his transformative tools of choice is the green smoothie, an elixir of wellness, power-packed with minerals and antioxidants, radiating life energy. He tells great stories about clients of the Jericho Reentry Project reacting to the mysterious jars of green stuff on his desk. Oh, and did I mention he’s a trained actor and an amazing storyteller?
We visited recently and the Master led us through the simple steps to a divinely delish smoothie. The best way I can describe the taste is… like velvet sunshine.
Enjoy!
Meet Our Faculty: Rebecca Katz & The Cancer Fighting Kitchen
Our Food As Medicine Executive Chef and core faculty member Rebecca Katz, MS, has just come out with her second book dedicated to helping cancer survivors and their families with tasty, healthy, science-based recipes and food information. Called The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery, it’s full of practical and delicious information. And who knew a book about cancer could be cozy and funny? That’s Rebecca. Reading her books is like sitting and talking with an old friend, in this case one of our nation’s most astute experts on supporting health during cancer treatment, what she calls ‘culinary Rx’.
She’s also the Queen of Yum. If you’ve been to our Food As Medicine trainings, you know, because Rebecca designs all the lunches. That’s the experiential part of the training: healthy food CAN be gorgeous and delicious. My colleague Alex ran down the street to our local bookstore and bought a copy of CFK the minute it came out, and has been cooking from it ever since, reporting back on her boyfriend’s verdicts (‘Fabulous!’ ‘So delicious!’). We’re teasing Alex that it’s like Julie & Julia — Alex & Rebecca. Rebecca doesn’t know it yet, but she’s got us all mesmerized! Visit www.rebecccakatz.com for lots of recipes and great info.
