A Weekend of Hope in Stowe

Reflecting on a Weekend of Hope, Education & Support

Hello, it has been sometime since my last post and I am happy to be back at it.  Writing is never an easy task for me, certainly nothing like cooking, which I can do in my sleep.  As such I often dread, fear and procrastinate my way to a blog post.  That said I am newly re-committed to being a more regular and authentic voice where healthy cooking meets nutrition and breast cancer.

This past weekend I was a presenter and exhibitor at the Stowe Weekend of Hope, a weekend retreat for those living with or touched by cancer.  Set amongst the Green Mountains in Vermont it is a powerful weekend and I am always honored to be a part of it.  Being in the presence of others that are empathetic to your own situation is a powerful experience.  When the connection is unfiltered, natural and authentic it makes all the more meaningful.

On Saturday I collaborated with Jennifer May, RD, CD, at the University of Vermont Cancer Center, on a presentation titled “Recipe for Breast Health, Understanding How Diet and Weight Affect Cancer Prevention, Survivorship and Caregiving.”  This is a well received presentation that we have done several times before at the Vermont Breast Cancer Conference, Saturday, however, was the first time we presented it at the Stowe Weekend of Hope.

Usually the audience is quiet, they hold their questions until the end and we are rarely left with a demand for more time to finish our slides.  Much to our delight that was not the case Saturday.  This year the audience was all about the nutrition, which is great!  People were informed, educated and passionate about making good choices based on sound information.  It felt like one of my old lectures back in my teaching days.  It was an incredible experience, truly an educator’s dream.

An easy observation from the weekend is that the connection between nutrition, healthy cooking and breast cancer is confusing for those diagnosed with breast cancer or caring for someone that has been diagnosed.

This seems like it has not changed much since my wife was diagnosed 10 years ago, yet it has.  The data that has been offered during the past decade shows a strong connection between physical fitness, nourishment and breast cancer (and other cancers as well).  What hasn’t changed, and must, is the information needs to be reliable, real, accessible and relevant.  Not sensationalized or misrepresented to promote a prior position.  Facts are facts and we need more of this in this area.

My commitment from this past weekend is to be a better resource, a more digestible one at least (sorry of the food pun) about how to start a healthy cooking transformation.  To be a resource that supports your desire to move away from the Standard American Diet (S.A.D. is its acronym, how fitting) to one that is more in line with contemporary prevention recommendations.  Finally it is my goal to showcase how simple, healthy and delicious fighting cancer can be.  I promise that you do not have to give up flavor, good food or the enjoyment of eating.

Through a series of blog posts across the months of May and June I will share key elements of what was presented this past weekend.  Taking the time to dig deeper and cover a bit more broadly those topics related to breast cancer and healthy cooking.

It would be a pleasure to participate in a conversation rather than just offer information.  I encourage each of you to comment on the posts, share them with your friends, family and social network and help create a community focused on building a healthy and delicious relationship with food and life with breast cancer.

As always, I look forward to sharing a kitchen with you.

Cheers to our health and happiness!

Chef Curtiss

NEW RECIPE PACK ON SALE!