Animal Activist Wields Wooden Spoon - SF Bay Area-based Nonprofit Empowers People and Saves Animals – One Meal at a Time

Using colorful vegetables and decadent chocolate, animal activist and vegetarian chef produces first-of-its kind Vegetarian Cooking DVD to empower people to make informed food choices and to debunk myths about plant-based cooking and eating. Compassionate Cooks' popular SF-area-based cooking classes, which pack in dozens of participants each month, were the inspiration for the DVD. With such regular laudatory feedback as "This class has changed my life," the DVD has the potential of helping countless people - and animals - at the same time.

Oakland, CA (PRWEB) December 7, 2004 -- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau founded her Oakland-based nonprofit organization Compassionate Cooks (www.compassionatecooks.com) in order to empower people to make informed food choices and to debunk myths about vegetarianism. The monthly vegetarian cooking classes she teaches, to an average audience of 20, focus on delicious and familiar dishes in order to take vegetarianism out of the box." An extension of her animal advocacy outreach and education, she began teaching classes over three years ago in response to people who, inspired to stop eating animals, inevitably asked, so what do I eat now?"

These popular classes, a successful combination of demonstrative cooking, nutrition information, and light-hearted fun, inspired her to take them even one step further. In every class, someone would raise her hand and ask when we would be on TV or have a video. I realized thousands – even millions – of people could be reached by creating a DVD. So thats what I did. Dedicated to making a first-of-its kind product that would be appealing, professional, and packed with good food and sound nutrition information, I raised the money to create Vegetarian Cooking with Compassionate Cooks," a DVD that has been released this past week – just in time for the holidays. And shes working on TV, too. The Food Network will soon be airing Colleens vegetarian BBQ, filmed on July 4th at her home.

Featuring six cooking demonstrations, including two scrumptious dairy-free desserts, and a show-and-tell segment of the wide array of vegetarian products in the grocery store, the main portion of the DVD would be enough to inspire and empower any viewer. But the special features offer even more – a video segment of eight Frequently Asked Questions about vegetarianism as well as a short 5-minute documentary about a farm animal rescue organization dedicated to providing lifelong sanctuary to those victims who were lucky enough escape being turned into dinner.

People are so confused about what to eat and are bombarded by advertising campaigns masked as public service announcements. They want to know how to control their health and prevent disease. I seek to provide people with the tools and resources they need to choose food that benefits their health, the earth, and of course the animals, whose treatment goes unnoticed and unseen by the public. Food is so incredibly personal, and were very habit-oriented creatures. It is such a pleasure to watch peoples perceptions and experiences change when they realize that vegetarian food" is food theyre already familiar with – vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, seeds. Most people eat vegetarian – they just dont call it that."

About Compassionate Cooks
Compassionate Cooks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people to make informed food choices and to debunking myths about vegetarianism through cooking classes, nutrition workshops, supermarket tours, and a cooking DVD. Compassionate Cooks gives people the tools and resources they need to prevent disease, optimize their health, and create new habits that benefit the earth and all its inhabitants. For more information, please visit www.compassionatecooks.com.

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