Vegan Wines would like to show our support for the Black American chefs we work with and tell you a little bit more about them. Nina Curtis is a fantastic plant-based chef who has not only partnered with us on events but shared her recipes with us. One of her vegan dishes was paired with a wine featured in our recent May wine club shipment!
Chef Nina Curtis also worked with Vegan Wines on our all-vegan dinner at the James Beard Foundation to celebrate women chefs as well as the American Culinary Foundation’s first-ever women’s symposium, “United in Food: Women Leaders Of Today and Tomorrow.” In fact, we were only a part of these events because Nina invited us!
Nina has been a foodie since she was a kid, helping out with her dad’s catering business and cooking with her mom in the kitchen. She became a vegan about 20 years ago when her body decided it didn’t need animal protein anymore – despite the fact that she was a competitive bodybuilder! She listened to her body, learned about nutrition, and began experimenting with plant-based foods. As it turned out, her body was right! She was able to lift more and recover faster with a plant-based lifestyle.
Nina has her MBA, a plant-based nutrition certificate, and professional culinary training, not to mention, she’s a yoga instructor, owner of a skincare and wellness practice, and former Executive Chef of The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu. She’s now the Director and Executive Chef for the Adventist Health Roseville Campus Vitaliz Café and Culinary Arts Department. Nina also leads presentations on health, nutrition, and whole foods all around the world!
Read more about Nina: Celebrating International Women’s Day and National Nutrition Month with insights from Chef Nina Curtis
Nina inspires us as a leader and trailblazer of the plant-based movement. But we also love Nina Curtis because she’s an amazing chef that uses her cooking talents to make positive changes in the world. It’s not just about the food. She’s always running to help a SiStar out (she came up with this term and I love it!). The word alone gives you a sense of her spirit of courage, generosity, and love. Her beliefs in life shine through in everything she does. Nina isn’t a talker. She’s a doer.
Frances is honored to have Nina Curtis as her SiStar, and our wine club members loved her recipe! We’re planning to partner with Nina on more projects in the future – particularly in our mission to support Black-owned businesses! So stay tuned!
