The New, Healthy-Cooking Chef in Town

Story by Ricardo Bacchus / Feature photo courtesy Mount Vernon News

Heidi Shoemaker, founder of Clean Eating Cooking Class, is on a path to change and motivate men—as well as women and children—to eat healthier.

Shoemaker started her ministry in August 2014 at Ohio Conference’s Mount Vernon church. She wears many hats, one being the conference’s communication director. Now she’s been inspired to put on a chef hat and started cooking healthy recipes in a classroom setting.

Shoemaker explains, “In my own life, I began eating ‘clean,’ that is trying to avoid processed and refined foods and base my diet on real, whole foods.”

Her classes, which only cost $5 per person/family, include a 15-minute presentation on nutrition/health/new foods, a demo in real time and a delicious sample at the end. Through her growing class, she is making an impact in her community. Shoemaker exclaims, “The majority of my students are non-Adventists!”

Another astonishing achievement is that her class is catching on. The Columbus Eastwood church started un a Meatless Monday Supper Club.

One of Shoemaker’s goals is to motivate the male population to strive for healthier eating habits. She has accomplished this by using tasty and attractive recipes. (A few of her recipes are included in this article.) Shoemaker believes that “what you eat really does have an effect on how you feel. Eating whole foods and avoiding junk food—a clean eating lifestyle—can keep you healthy or help you regain your health if you haven't been well.” Another one of her goals is to empower her students to use her resources and recipes in their everyday meals. Her techniques are not only helping their waistline, but their time and money as well.

Engaging the Younger Generation

Shoemaker also encourages the younger generation to eat nutritiously: “I have introduced a kid’s cooking component to the class after a few parents started bringing their sons. Now, my sous chefs help demo the kid-friendly recipes, and our last class had six boys helping.” Yes, we have future male cooks in the making.

Between classes, the students share online tips/recipes, photos and experiences via her Facebook page, Clean Eating Cooking Class. To register for the class, visit her church’s website at welcometothehill.org or email her at cleaneatingmv@gmail.com.

Shoemaker’s cooking has created quite a stir, and as she puts it, “The guys always come back for more.”

Read and share these articles from the July-August Visitor :

• Editorial: We're Big Kids Now
• Feature: So Near, And Yet So Far
• Underscore: Men and Diet: Can Diehard Carnivores Become Vegetarian or Vegan?
• CD Release: Songs From the Heart
• Healthy Recipes from Columbia Union Members
• Liberian Refugee Soccer Players Receive New Limbs and Rehabilitation
• The New, Healthy-Cooking Chef in Town