Plant Based 101 & 102 ~ UNLV Free Press by Hayleigh Hayhurst

PLANT POWER 101 & 102 
The Dish on why Plant Based Eating is on the Rise 

Plant-based eating is sprouting up everywhere and has finally made its way to the UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. 
This April, some of Las Vegas’ plant-based leaders will combine their efforts to create a free two day, plant-based workshop. Presented by the UNLV Veg Club, UNLV Student Nutrition and Dietetic Association and Harrah’s Hospitality College, this class will be engaging and informational for all. 

The forward thinking, progressive leaders are Chef Mark Sandoval, an executive chef at Harrah Hospitality College, Jodi Paige of Virgin Cheese, Daryl Elliott, a progressive vegan activist, Nissa Tzun of Solidarite Kitchen, Heidi Roy of Alternative Junkie and Sari Dennis of My Wellness Counts. 

With their variety of knowledge and specialties, this class is ideal for people that already consume plant-based meals, are new to a plant-based diet or just want to expand their horizons. 
This course will highlight talks, demos, and tastes. It will feature the Ditching Dairy Demo from Jodi Paige of Virgin Cheese and Secret Sauces from Heidi Roy of Alternative Junkie. 
The goal of this class is to combine culinary skills and whole foods to show people how to remove the meat from great, nutritious meals. 

“As a society, people are looking more and more at what they are eating,” said Sandoval. “People are asking, “Was it sourced locally?” “Is it organic?” and “What are the ingredients?” As people do this, consciousness is spreading and has made its way into the college community.” 

Chef Sandoval has seen this change of plant-based interest growing for a while in his restaurants and is choosing to embrace it. He is teaching himself and the community how to create delicious plant-based foods.

The diverse group of leaders and presenters are hosting this event to gage the interest of a plant-based class at UNLV in hopes to extend this two-part workshop into a longer course, and potentially write it into UNLV’s curriculum. UNLV previously added plant-based options to the Student Union, and Dining Commons. In addition, plant-based restaurants have been popping up everywhere around UNLV. 

​This class is free and open to the public, students and faculty. Registration is available at PlantPower101.BrownPaperTickets.com. 

The workshop will be held April 15 and April 22 from 1-4 p.m. in the “Marriott Executive Kitchen” (Room 485) in the Harrah’s Hospitality Hall. For more information about the Plant Based 101 & 102 course, contact [email protected].

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