Marissa Vicario

Recent Blog Posts

NYC Vegetarian Food Festival

If the line that snaked down 18th Street and wrapped around the block forming a two-hour wait to get into yesterday's First Vegetarian Food Festival in NYC was any indication of the rising popularity of plant-based diets, then I'd say we've come a long way since I went veg back in 1993, almost 20 years ago! At the age of 13, I knew little about the benefits of a plant-based diet, which include: … [Read more...]

Friday Night Dinner

On any given Friday night, the Natural Gourmet Institute may be mistaken by some for a Jean Georges restaurant. Diners line up in droves to claim their seat -- which they have called ahead to reserve, sometimes far in advance --  at the cooking school's Friday Night Dinners. But you won't find trendy decor, or even tenderloin on the menu. The digs are a bit more rustic, the service casual and … [Read more...]

Well-oiled

Like a fine wine, there is also an art and a science that goes into creating a good-tasting olive oil. For a long time, olive oil has been a staple in my kitchen so I've always had that innate sense that not all olive oils are created equal, but I never fully investigated why. Luckily, I stumbled on a class at Eataly, Olive Oil Uncovered with Nicholas Coleman and I am now better versed on the … [Read more...]

Lessons Learned from My Grandmother’s Kitchen

Ida Martha Stanzione Vicario 1926-2011 My family said goodbye to my sweet and loving grandmother (Nana) last week after her long battle with Alzheimer's. An immigrant from Naples, Italy and an angel even before she ever made it to Heaven, my grandmother was passionate about food and cooking. For most of my life, I never set foot in a kitchen, but my interest in cooking finally blossomed … [Read more...]

Getting Back on Track

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of travel for me. And I'll be the first to admit, I'm always talking about planning ahead for travel -- packing healthy snacks, researching the closest juice bars. But seriously, the stars don't always align. Take, for instance, this most recent trip: One week in San Francisco followed by what was to be a few days in Lake Tahoe. While I had the flight … [Read more...]

Fifteen Ways to Fall in Love

Happy Valentine's Day! Today is the day many of us celebrate love. So often, that love is focused externally, on a relationship with someone else. I remember a time, not so long ago, when I was running around trying to find that perfect love to celebrate on February 14. Little did I know, I was searching too far. That love was actually inside of me. How would your life be different if you fell in … [Read more...]

I Had the Time of My Life

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to what is the warmest part of the country right now - Miami, Florida -- I was there in a heartbeat to attend The Institute for Integrative Nutrition's annual conference, a gathering of health coaches from all over the world. Imagine 2,000 of the happiest and healthiest people you've ever seen glowing from head to toe. Pretty spectacular! The weekend … [Read more...]

Inspired by Pesto

The one thing that inspires me beyond all measure to cook, is when I find a great recipe that, with a few tweaks, can become a healthier, vegan version of the same thing. Another dirty, little secret is that I can often be found tearing pages out of magazines -- a cute pair of shoes, inspiring quotes, web sites to check out, and yes, recipes are all fair game. It should come as no surprise then … [Read more...]

Adventures in Cooking Class

Last night I attended a cooking class at The Natural Gourmet Institute. The class, entitled Soup, Stew and Salad Dinners, was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend. I took it as a hint but was pleased nonetheless as soups are an area where I can use improvement. The fresh, organic ingredients This being my first class at The Natural Gourmet, I wasn't sure what to expect. After some time … [Read more...]