There’s nothing you can do that’s more important to the earth than turning vegan.
One of my favorite restaurants is Sun Cafe in Hollywood. I love the food, the vibe, and the idea behind it. So I wanted to bring the head chef, my friend Ron Russell, on the podcast to explain how he created this amazing place, and why this kind of food matters so much.
Ron, co-owner and a chef at SunCafe, began cooking professionally during college, leading him to become a vegetarian. It’s been 30+ years since he’s eaten any meat. Over those years, he’s continually developed healthier versions of traditional foods and unique dishes of his own inspiration. 14 years ago, Ron became interested in raw foods, after hearing a lecture by David Wolfe. Since then, he’s developed scores of raw food recipes and has given wellness lectures and taught more than 250 plant-based cooking & health/wellness classes.
Suncafe has received 18 culinary awards including being named 1 of the Top 10 Restaurants in Los Angeles County twice by OpenTable as well as 1 of the Top Vegan Restaurants in the nation. Ron works with famous cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish at UCLA Medical Center. Suncafe is the restaurant in Los Angeles Dr. Ornish sends his patients to.
Not only do we dive deep into the health benefits of a plant-based diet in this episode, Ron explains how anyone can start to make simple shifts, and what will happen to our planet if we do.
Show Notes
- Ron’s tips for starting a vegan restaurant (5:37)
- How to start on a healthy vegan diet (10:10)
- The top 5 flavors Ron recommends to make great tasting food (15:30)
- The turning point in Ron’s journey of being a chef (23:05)
- The biggest challenges of running a restaurant (25:17)
- How to become a vegan at home in your own kitchen (27:56)
- How much water you should drink in a day (32:19)
- How to navigate a vegan diet with a partner (35:17)
- The future of veganism (40:00)
- How a vegan diet can save you from lifestyle diseases (47:35)
- How Ron gets loved up (49:14)
Links mentioned in this episode
- Sun Cafe
- Forks Over Knives
- Dr. Michael Greger
- Online Cooking Course
- Dr. Ornish
- Dr. David Katz
- Tony Robbins
- Pre-order Koya’s new book Let Your Fears Make You Fierce
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