This book would not be possible if it weren’t for my family. They have been pushing me to put my recipes on paper and share everything I know from the years spent in our own kitchen. My loving husband, Nelson, is my biggest coach and fan. He has enough energy and enthusiasm for almost any task! Making the documentary was his final push for encouraging me to write this book. He is always trying to create opportunities for me to share my food knowledge with the public. Thank you, Nelson, for pushing me and always believing in me.
Thanks to our children, Whitney, Colin, and Laura, for teaching me how to be better! You three kids, along with the many friends you brought to our house, were always requesting, critiquing, and challenging me to cater to your taste buds. You always told me the truth! But, most of all, you three always light up my kitchen. Many of our greatest discussions happened at my kitchen island over numerous chopped vegetables.
Thanks to my mother- and father-inlaw, Karen and Colin, for teaching me everything I know about the plant-based diet. I watched Karen cook plant-based for more than twenty-five years. She’s a pro! She can cook for the entire family (and we are a large crowd), keeping the food healthy and delicious. And Colin’s research and science made this book possible. He has taught us all so much about health, science, and the ways of the world. He is a brilliant man, but most of all, he’s a loving and kind father-in-law.
Thanks to Karen Whiston and her daughter, Kelly Schillinger, for testing so many of these recipes and giving honest feedback. I have flooded your inboxes and voicemail with absolutely too much food information. Also, thank you, Karen, for teaching me how to cook when I was only seven years old; you are the root of my culinary passion.
I also would like to thank my mother, Mary Anne Pearce, for teaching me so many cooking techniques and having high expectations. You gave me the freedom to cook for our family at a very young age, always expressing gratefulness for my skills and the meals I prepared. Mealtime was family time and our dinner table was full of so much love and laughter. Thank you to my father, Carl Pearce, for planting huge gardens and encouraging us to love vegetables and prepare them well. How many rows of Swiss chard did you really plant? The strawberry rhubarb recipe is for you, Dad. The bags of vegetables you placed in the kitchen for us to prepare were truly a gift to our health, even if it looked like mundane chores to a twelveyear-old. I love you both for raising me to follow my dreams and teaching me to always put my family first.
Thank you, Kevin Dunn and Amber Gilbert, for your recipe contributions in this cookbook. You were both instrumental in giving birth to several recipes we used during our Jumpstarts. Your hard work and creativity made many of our Jumpstart recipes economical, easy to prepare, and delicious.
Thank you to Brian Olson, our photographer. It was a pleasure working with someone so talented and motivated. You have the artistic ability to make food look like a work of art! I also appreciate the feedback and positive remarks you made after every dish I passed your way. I’m looking forward to our next food project!
Our film crew, including John Corry, Lee Fulkerson, Frank Smith, and Brian Olson, has been fantastic. The hard work and long trips to Kentucky and other places were inspiring and fun. This crew managed to put a smile on our faces even when the going got tough. Thank you for all your efforts in this project.