As a nutrition educator, chef instructor and chef/consultant, Ellen Thomas works hands-on with organizations seeking to understand the benefits of eating fresh, seasonal and local cuisine and to teach how eating well can help achieve a strong body and mind. She recently has worked to transform the school food programs at the East Harlem School and Spence School in New York City and was instrumental working on the creation of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution in Cabell County, WV.

Ellen attended the Kushi Institute, a macrobiotic center in western Massachusetts.  Through this education she began to understand the correlation between food and health, and was first introduced to the idea of food as medicine.  Ellen returned to the Institute as one of the lead chefs.  She has leveraged this unique experience to create Natural Food Chef where she works with clients experiencing significant health conditions to teach them how to nourish themselves through proper food choices and lifestyle.

Ellen has had the unique privilege of working with Chef Ann Cooper, the Executive Director of the nationally acclaimed Nutrition Services Department of the Berkeley Unified School District and has taught cooking for a semester at Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard. This experience has given her a new understanding and appreciation for the importance of introducing children to healthy eating.