Graduate Spotlight
Mark Reinfeld, M.S. in Holistic Nutrition
“Each of us is a unique reflection of the all”
These are the words and this is the philosophy of a 1996 CCNH graduate who boldly left his studies at a Manhattan law school, packed up a car and drove to the opposite corner of America – envisioning a simpler, more congruent way of life.
Wandering to sunny San Diego and easing into customer service with a popular health food shop and café was anything but a lark, and he has never looked back.
That’s because Mark Reinfeld is an inquisitive student of the world.
Having first spent a year before law school working his way through Europe on a kibbutz in Israel and exploring the indigenous wisdom of India and Nepal, Mark breathed in the exotic sweetness of life’s simplicity. While learning to nurture his spirit, strengthen his body and calm his mind through the daily sustenance of living foods, as he began to discover the perfect integrity of non-violence and unity his lifestyle choices naturally came to mirror an ever more peaceful consciousness.
In loving response, Mark adds, the Universe continually signals her own delight through an endless supply of Divine surprises, gifts and rewards beyond his imagination.
Relocating to the West Coast in the mid-1990s, Mark soon discovered an affinity for inventing colorfully harmonious organic recipes, motivating and inspiring others by embracing all aspects of culinary design – encompassing the here-and-now of restaurant environments and catering, along with the far-flung sparkle of an Internet cafe, travelogues on VegNews TV, and book publishing.
All these things have happened through his co-creations of The Blossoming Lotus and Thousand Petals Publishing.
By 2002 Mark again spread his wings and landed “with wild contentment” on Hawaii’s oldest island, Kauai. Known by mystical seekers as a psychic energy vortex, during that same year Kauai’s garden paradise hosted one of Clayton College’s first Educational Travel learning vacations -- another story for another time.
And so…aloha!
With Reinfeld’s stated intention to honor planetary peace among human and animal life for this and for all future generations, the executive chef's Blossoming Lotus organization has become the proud parent company of three organic, vegan restaurants that employ 40 other like-minded souls. Somehow both invigorating and soothing, its original location offers healing moonlight music, exotic brunches, festive luaus and private beachside dining. Daily breakfast and lunch at the nearby Lotus Root Juice Bar and Bakery feature organic smoothies, heavenly confections and homemade vegan ice cream. And now in Oregon, The Blossoming Lotus brings these same loving intentions, for peaceful appreciation of the world’s living foods, back home to the continental U.S.
In Mark’s creative evolution as a holistic author his first book, Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, fast became an internationally award-winning field guide. Its kitchen table wisdom inspires the conscious decision toward a more vegan lifestyle, one enlightened choice at a time. In its upcoming third printing (scheduled for fall, 2005), the book’s specially endorsed Foreword by the world-renowned Jane Goodall, affirms:
Gradually transitioning toward…a (vegetarian) diet would be one of the wisest choices you could make if you are concerned with your health, the health of the planet and the future of our children. The Blossoming Lotus is a pioneer in bringing this healing awareness into our hearts and homes. Their Vegan World Fusion Cuisine serves as a manual for sustainable, nonviolent living, painting a picture of a world without boundaries, where all cultures are celebrated and all people are treated with respect and caring.
Bringing to life’s banquet a vision of unity, with boundless appreciation of all that is, Mark Reinfeld embodies the belief that peace begins in the kitchen.
For more information: www.veganfusion.com and www.blossominglotus.com.
 |
|
 |
|
|
|