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.

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.

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.