Carly Paige

Carly Paige is a culinary nutrition expert and chef and is on a mission to redefine the way we view our health through simple swaps. She believes that cooking healthfully can be simple, and should always be delicious. Her holistic approach towards plant-based cooking is designed to introduce you to a new way of using foods and flavors in the kitchen. Carly is a cookbook author, speaker, and founder of FitLiving Eats Winter Park, a concierge private chef company that offers customized meal prep services, cooking classes, and boutique catering. She has had the opportunity to partner with some extraordinary organizations to educate their workforce on her holistic approach to healthier habits, including NASA, Southwest Airlines, and The Four Seasons. She is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Nutritious Life, and Plantlab Culinary.

Hari Pulapaka, PhD, WCMC, CEC

Hari Pulapaka is a full-time, tenured Associate Professor of Mathematics in his 22nd year at Stetson University (DeLand, FL). In 2017, Hari launched a company – Global Cooking School, LLC with a mission – To offer a wide swathe of educational and consulting services aimed at making food more delicious, thoughtful, nutritious, and inclusive. The Global Cooking School published Hari’s 2nd book. Born and raised in Mumbai, Hari has been in the United States since 1987. After completing a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Florida in 1995, a professional midlife crisis led to a fast-paced, top-of-the-class graduation with an Associate of Applied Science in the Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu-Orlando in 2004. Hari has published many research papers in the areas of Graph Theory and Number Theory and is an award-winning chef with four James Beard Award semifinalist nods as Best Chef-South and multiple Food & Wine People’s Best Chef recognitions. Hari won the inaugural Chefs Taste Challenge in New Orleans and his cuisine was rated the best in the inaugural ZAGAT Orlando Guide with a food score of 29/30. In 2015, Hari published his first book-a memoir-food advocacy-cookbook of sorts titled Dreaming in Spice and his second book titled Dreaming in Spice–A Sinfully Vegetarian Odyssey featuring 251 globally inspired recipes in 2020. Upon invitation, Hari has, by invitation, cooked at the James Beard House in New York City on many occasions and was a featured chef at the 2018 James Beard Awards in Chicago. In 2016, Hari was recognized as a GRIST 50 fixer for his innovative and active work in food waste reduction and has helped develop food waste reduction related teaching materials for the James Beard Foundation as part of a full-use kitchen curriculum. Hari was an invited chef at the inaugural official JBF Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change and is an active leader & chef advisor for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program and the JBF Smart Catch Program in his capacity as Strategic Advisor for Postelsia. Hari is a Chef/Partner for Enroot Organics PBC, is on the Chief Sustainability Officer Group for Food Tank, holds a Worldchefs Certified Master Chef certification along with a Certified Executive Chef certification of the American Culinary Federation. When he is not cooking or writing about food, teaching Calculus, Abstract Algebra, Cryptology, Number Theory, or supervising Undergraduate Research, Hari writes and speaks frequently on food-related matters.

Hari is married to Dr. Jenneffer Pulapaka, a podiatric surgeon who specializes in diabetic limb salvage, is a certified sommelier, board certified in lifestyle medicine and wound care management, and co-founded Cress Restaurant with Hari. She is presently launching a new venture SokTek. They live in DeLand, Florida with a few non-human family members.

Hari and Jenneffer are scheduled to publish their book “Whole Food Plant Based Cardiac Recovery Cookbook” with Hatherleigh Press in Spring 2023.

Allison Harrell, RDN, CCMS

Allison is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist and Professional Plant Based Chef. She has been passionate about food and nutrition for more than two decades. She works one on one with clients to improve their fate by what they put on their plate. She inspires wellness by incorporating culinary experiences with a science-based approach. Allison develops programs and tools that make a positive difference on the health of our community by instilling confidence in the kitchen. Allison is the founder of www.mywholenewlife.com offering one on one nutritional therapy specific to your needs, group sessions, meal plans and cooking classes.

Marta Ferraz Valles, MA, RD, LD

Marta is a registered dietitian with years of experience in nutrition counseling for gastrointestinal conditions, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Currently, she is an outpatient dietitian at The Institute for Digestive Health and Liver Disease at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, where she provides individualized nutrition counseling. In addition to digestive health, she is passionate about educating individuals regarding the benefits of eating more whole plant-based foods and helping them make lifestyle changes to be happier, prevent chronic diseases, and live a better life.

Roneice Weaver, MS, RD, LD

RONIECE WEAVER MS RD LD Famous for her cookbooks, nutrition classes, and co-hosting the very popular Wednesday Live with Hebni Nutrition (IG and FB), she’s known for bringing out the best in you with simple, easy to follow tips and tricks for a guaranteed new you. Ms. Weaver, received her Bachelor of Science in Food Science/Human Nutrition from the University of Florida and Master of Science degree in Health Care Administration from the University of Saint Francis. She is also a Registered Dietician (RD) and Licensed Dietician (LD) in the state of Florida. She is the Director of Agency Operations, former ED, and founding partner of Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Inc. Her company is widely known for the development of the original Soul Food Pyramid and the Soul Food Plate; a culturally sensitive food guide nutrition tool. Hebni’s programs, educational tools, and diabetes cookbooks have been featured in several media outlets She and her partner are responsible for nutritional analysis, taste testing, and promotion of both books. In addition, she provides educational seminars to many health care organizations across the country. Ms. Weaver and her partners provided an integral part to the development of a state of the art Nutrition Resource Center in Downtown Orlando, which houses 4 commercial kitchens to serve as learning labs for wellness. This new facility has brought much notoriety to the health industry in bringing health messages to underserved populations in a different delivery mode. In 2014 Ms. Weaver launched the first Mobile Farmers Market on a city bus. This innovative project is called The Fresh Stop Bus. In 2011 Ms. Weaver was selected to participate in Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Campaign” at the White House and was requested to provide health initiatives for school aged children. She and her team developed the “Healthy 4 Kids Cookbook” which aligns school recipes with the Let’s Move Initiative for the United States Department of Agriculture/ Food and Nutrition Services (USDA/FNS). She currently completed a contract with FNS/USDA to revise up to 200 recipes for school food service national database of recipes. She is responsible for implementing taste profiles, chef development and guidance to new recipe ingredients, and modernized procedures that provide healthier nutrition labeling for fat, salt, and sugar requirements. She keeps a busy schedule lecturing nationally and instructing locally and web-based platforms on various nutrition topics and current health issues related to food and nutrition. Additionally, she served on the National Board for the American Diabetes Association(ADA); National Advocacy Committee for ADA, Past-Trustee for Health Central Hospital, and West Orange County District, Board Member for Florida Hospital Community Health Impact Council, and Board of Directors for the Central Florida Partnership in Health Disparities. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Orlando (FL) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated. Her many contributions have been recognized by receipt of the Academy Medallion Award(2022), President’s Award from the National Medical Association Auxiliary, The African American Chamber, and the Presidents Award for Alum of the year from the President of The University of St. Francis in Joliet Illinois.