Vegetarians of Washington - A Seattle based vegetarian/vegan organization

Vegfest 2009 - March 21st & 22nd, Seattle Center Exhibition Hall

Chefs at Vegfest 2009

Here are the chefs we have lined up for you at Vegfest 2009. See our schedule page to see when they will be speaking at Vegfest this year,

Each of these chefs will be giving a cooking demonstration and you’ll receive a copy of the recipes to take home .

Janine Doran		A Seattle native, Janine Doran began her cooking career after completing the Culinary Arts Program at South Seattle Community College. She has gained extensive fine dining experience through her work at many Seattle area restaurants. Janine was part of the culinary team that opened Cutter’s Bayhouse followed by six years at The Palm Court, a fine dining establishment in the Westin Hotel. She then moved on to the Woodmark Hotel where she enhanced her banquets and line experience. Since then she has been firmly established at Café Flora for over 11 years. She has mastered the roles of sous chef, chef de cuisine and executive chef, which she has held for the past 5 years. Janine strongly promotes the creativity of all her staff members. Her premise being that success will come not with the knowledge of one but through the combination of many. She is a strong believer in a respectful work environment, the support of locally grown produce and in developing a strong team.

Caroline Dupont		In her new book, Enlightened Eating, Caroline Dupont confidently shares all that she has come to learn about nutrition and health. She not only understands intimately the relationship between what we eat and who we are, but she applies this knowledge to her own life and shares it generously with all who will listen. Her recipes are tried and true – she has served them to family and friends and used them in dozens and dozens of food preparation classes that she’s taught. She has also taught for the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition for a dozen years. She lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario with her two children. Learn more about Caroline at www.carolinedupont.com.


Devra Gartenstein		Devra Gartenstein started her working career in a health food store. Her favorite job was preparing lunch for the staff. She'd have one hour, and an entire store worth of ingredients. She played and she learned. Before long she was preparing her own food and wholesaling it to the store. Eventually she cut out the middleman and started a business, Lucky Palate, which prepares and delivers delicious vegetarian meals directly to people's homes. After selling this business to Roy and Bonnie Parton, she opened and ran the Patty Pan Grill in Ballard. Devra is author of two books The Accidental Vegan and Local Bounty: Seasonal Vegan Recipes.


Louise Hagler		Louise Hagler, an internationally renowned vegetarian chef and author, is one of the pioneers in introducing and promoting vegetarian cuisine featuring soyfoods to the western world. Her books present a wide variety of tasty, easy-to-prepare, familiar dishes while incorporating tofu, soymilk, tempeh, miso, textured soy, and other soyfoods. Her recipes are vegan and therefore cholesterol-free. Louise has worked both as a food stylist and a culinary instructor, as well as being a best selling author. She brings over 30 years cooking experience to her classes, where she focuses on quick and easy recipes preparing soyfoods in ways that will be warmly welcomed into daily menus. Learn more about Louise's cookbooks at www.bookpubco.com For the past six years, Louise has been teaching nutrition education classes and helping with technical assistance in projects to introduce alternative proteins in Mexico and Guatemala for undernourished populations with Plenty International: Find out more at www.plenty.org. Right after Vegfest, on March 23rd thru March 28th, Louise will be giving very special classes as part of the PCC Cooks program. To learn more and to sign up please visit PCC Classes.


Chat Mingkwan		Born in Thailand, Chat Mingkwan came to the U.S. to pursue higher education in the design field, while cooking and training in a French restaurant a part-time as a hobby; his first big step in the culinary profession. Later, he followed his yearning culinary passion by apprenticing in provincial French cuisine in Rayon, France. Returning to the US, he offered his French cooking always with a twist of Thai or perfected his Thai cooking with a hint of French techniques to fit the western kitchen. He’s now doing what he likes most: cooking, teaching, traveling, writing, and making sure that people who come in contact with him have a full stomach and a good time. His most recent cookbooks are Buddha’s Table and Vietnamese Fusion. Learn more about Chat at www.unusualtouch.com.


Archana Verma		Archana Verma is from a university town 300 miles from Delhi, India. She grew up in a home with health-conscious parents and a rich heritage of Punjabi North Indian cuisine; healthy eating and an active lifestyle were as important as adherence to flavorful recipes. She moved to the United States in 1990 as an engineer, and for the last 10 years she has tailored her mother’s recipes for her busy lifestyle as a full-time working mother. Food is her second vocation and she is excited about making Indian cooking easy, fast and accessible. Archana is currently a chef teaching with the PCC Cooks program.