For quite a while, I had been hearing all about the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, Maine and decided to finally make the trip up north last week to see what the enthusiasm was all about.

Needless to say, the event exceeded all of my expectations, and it proved to be a truly special weekend. Not only is it rare that you can go to an event of this size and be able to eat organic food all day (there are no organic meal options at Expo West or Expo East), but you are surrounded by thousands of people who are also deeply committed to this way of life. Read more »

If you are a big believer in the power of flowers, which I certainly am, and are looking for something special and unique for Mother’s Day, the flower essences and elixirs from Lotus Wei are the perfect gift.

Founded by Katie Hess, who has over 13 years of experience in working one-on-one with clients using flower remedies, Lotus Wei creates flower elixirs and essences that evoke the precise feelings you want to experience. Read more »

(The panelists and the chefs talking about the dishes that they were presenting for the night.)

If you follow the technology industry, you are probably familiar with TechCrunch Disrupt, an event that showcases the most revolutionary and disruptive start-ups.

Well, the organic food industry now has its own version of this event called Tofu Disrupt.

While Tofu Disrupt does not put the spotlight on emerging tofu brands, its goal is to disrupt our preconceived notions of what tofu is and to make this a much more mainstream ingredient.

Hosted and conceived by Minh Tsai, my good friend and founder of Hodo Soy Beanery, the country’s leading artisinal organic tofu brand, Tofu Disrupt was first held last year in San Francisco. On Monday night, it hosted its second event, this time in New York City at the International Culinary Center, and I had the very good fortune of being able to attend. Read more »

I just got back from the Seed Festival in Miami, the country’s first conscious, plant-based food and wine festival, and had an amazing few days.

This was the second year of the event, and I was so impressed by the number of attendees and quality of vendors. In my view, it is only a matter of time before the Seed Festival becomes a must-attend event for all plant-based companies in the organic industry, and Whole Foods Market again served as the main sponsor. Read more »

If you’re in the New York City area this weekend, October 24-25, there is a very cool organic event taking place in Williamsburg.

Rodale’s Organic Life magazine is hosting its first Farm2Fork Festival, which will spotlight Brooklyn restaurants, and special guests include chef Dan Barber (Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns) and filmmaker Susan Rockefeller (Food for Thought: Food for Life).

If you’re unfamiliar with Rodale’s Organic Life magazine, that may be because this is a re-launch of Rodale’s first and iconic magazine Organic Gardening. Founded by J.I. Rodale in 1942, Organic Gardening was the magazine that started the organic movement in the U.S. Read more »

I’ve been fortunate to do many amazing things and meet a ton of inspirational people in 2014.

Yet, if I had to pick my highlight of the year, it is probably the article that I just wrote in Mantra: Yoga+Health magazine.

When the magazine first hit the stands, I vividly remember being hunched over in the aisle at Whole Foods Market in NYC’s Union Square, absorbing every single word. What I felt after reading these few pages touched me in a way that nothing else had in a long, long time.

To be honest, my reaction really took me by surprise and I never imagined that I would be so overcome with emotion. Why was I so moved by this article?

I write blog posts all of the time that get shared throughout the world on the Internet. Additionally, I also have been lucky enough to have been profiled in The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, Bloomberg and many others major media outlets.

So, what was so special about this one? Read more »

On the final night of the Seed Food & Wine Festival in Miami, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend the While Lotus Dinner Experience with Matthew Kenney.

Renowned chef Matthew Kenney, who co-founded Pure Food & Wine in New York City and now has sprawling plant-based empire throughout the world, flew into town and prepared a delicious four-course meal. This served as a preview for his Miami-based raw food restaurant White Lotus, which is expected to open in 2015. Read more »