It’s All About Food

PART I: Betsy Carson, Miyoto Schinner, Toni Fiore, Terry Hope Romero- Vegan Mashup The filmmaker Betsy Carson has a passion for sharing the benefits of a plant-based diet, and is fueled by a lack of vegan programming options. Since 2005 she has produced 52 episodes of the popular public television program Totally Vegetarian. And a top 10 recipe podcast VegEZ, now seen by more than 4 and a half million people and counting. She also created and produced Vegan Hotspot, a celebrity dining series podcast that can be viewed online at VeganHotspot.com. Both podcast were nominated for a Taste TV Award. With a desire to once again reach the wider television audience she’s ready for her next big adventure: Vegan Mash-Up. The Chefs Terry Hope Romero, author and co-author of bestselling vegan cookbooks Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and Viva Vegan! Authentic Vegan Latina American Recipes has also presented informative and lively cooking demos and talks to hungry crowds at food festivals and conferences the world over, from Paris to New York City, from Boston to Toronto and beyond. Terry also contributes to VegNews (a leading vegan lifestyle magazine) with her regular column: “Hot Urban Eats.” She also holds a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. Toni Fiore was the host of the Delicious TV’s Totally Vegetarian, as well as the VegEZ podcast with apps and e-cookbooks .Toni is also the author of Totally Vegetarian: Easy, Fast, Comforting Cooking for Every Kind of Vegetarian, she is currently mulling over ideas for her next cookbook. Miyoko Schinner has published three cookbooks, owned a restaurant, developed and sold products nationwide and on United Airlines, and has taught cooking in front of both live audiences and on television. She started her own cooking show – Miyoko’s Kitchen – with the goal of mainstreaming vegan cuisine and making plant-based cooking fun and accessible to all. Part II: Johanna McCloy, Soy Happy Johanna (pronounced “yo-hah-nah”) is dedicated to bridging cultural gaps and empowering individuals to realize that their voices and their actions matter. With compassion and action, they can cross divides and help to generate the positive changes they seek to see in the world. Soy Happy was created with this in mind. A multi-cultural background Johanna spent seventeen years living in Spain, India, Japan, and Venezuela. She speaks nearly fluent Spanish and some Japanese. She attended Duke University and received her degree in Comparative Area Studies and Anthropology. Experience in the entertainment industry Johanna studied acting with the legendary Sanford Meisner in Los Angeles. She is often noted for her Guest Starring role as Ensign Calloway in Star Trek The Next Generation and for other acting credits in radio, theatre, television and film. She also has professional experience as a story analyst, documentary researcher and tribute video producer. (She continues to free-lance in these capacities.) Published writer Johanna’s personal essays have been published in India Currents Magazine, Moxie Magazine, Journeywoman and a book entitled Voices from the Garden (Lantern Books.) She has written countless articles regarding consumer advocacy and Soy Happy for a variety of publications, including the book by Erik Marcus entitled, Meat Market. Johanna is also co-creator and co-editor of Dare To Be Fabulous (DTBF) , celebrating womens’ stories of daring, joy and empowerment. In 2000, Johanna attended a Major League Baseball (MLB) game and found no viable vegetarian menu options in the entire stadium. She realized that many fans were either bringing their own food or eating before or after the game, due to the lack of options, so she decided to do something about it. She compiled statistics on the rise in demand for vegetarian options, and presented her menu proposal to the concession manager one week later. She then began outreaching to every MLB park, as well as baseball fans, consumer groups and supportive organizations. The Soy Happy website was created as an informational resource. Fans started to speak up, celebrities offered endorsements, media paid attention, and concession managers responded. When Soy Happy started, none of the MLB parks offered veggie dogs. As of 2011, 22 MLB parks offer veggie dogs, due in large part to Soy Happy‘s efforts. Using our baseball experience as a model, Soy Happy continues to empower consumers on the importance of their feedback and to promote a wide variety of vegetarian/vegan options for foodservice establishments. Soy Happy provides a unique hybrid of services. In addition to being a consumer advocate, Soy Happy offers promotional and outreach services for foodservice providers.