Events

Dinner Social in Parkchester

Join your Bronx neighbors for a Bangladeshi dinner at Neerob Restaurant in Parkchester, offered every Friday evening in May. After a brief introduction and presentation, we’ll enjoy a delicious meal made of whole plant foods to support your well-being and prevent and reverse chronic disease. All are welcome!

Family-style dishes to be shared:
• Market dal
• Side of market greens
• Brown rice
• Spinach roti

$20 fixed price includes meal and gratuity. Meals at Neerob hosted by PPMNY are fully plant-based, oil-free, and low in added salt and sugar.

Hosted by Rogier van Vlissingen, PPMNY Ambassador

Hike for Health: Old Croton Aqueduct Trail

Join us for a refreshing spring hike along the scenic Old Croton Aqueduct Trail from Glenwood Ave to Dobbs Ferry, a peaceful, tree-lined path with sweeping views of the Hudson River. This 5.1-mile hike offers a mostly flat, accessible route — perfect for hikers of all levels. The hike will take approximately 2.5 – 3 hours.

We’ll meet in Yonkers and make our way north toward Hastings-on-Hudson and Dobbs Ferry, enjoying a relaxed, social pace along the way. The trail runs alongside residential areas and the river, offering a beautiful blend of nature and neighborhood charm.

At the end of the hike, we’ll stop in Dobbs Ferry for a brief break at the Climbing Wolf coffeeshop. We’ll then continue downhill to the Waterfront Park near the Dobbs Ferry Metro-North station, where we’ll gather for a picnic lunch — please bring your own food in a comfortable backpack for the hike.

After lunch, participants may head back via Metro-North, depending on their travel plans.

Bring water, a packed lunch, comfortable walking shoes, and sun protection. PPMNY’s Marty Davey and Corey Simoneau will be at the trail entrance in Yonkers to welcome the group.

Come enjoy fresh air, movement, and community on this beautiful Hudson Valley trail!

Transportation:

By train: For those traveling from NYC, we recommend taking the Hudson Line train from Grand Central at 9:25 AM, arriving at 10:01 AM at the Glenwood stop. From the station, walk up the hill on Glenwood Avenue to the Old Croton Aqueduct Trailhead just past Warburton Avenue.

By car: Park near the Old Croton Aqueduct Trailhead just past Warburton Ave (street parking is typically available near Warburton Ave and Glenwood Ave, or North Broadway and Glenwood Ave). Once we finish the picnic, you can take the 2:15 PM Hudson train from the Dobbs Ferry stop to the Glenwood stop (8 minute ride). The train runs once every hour.

Please note: there are restrooms on the train, but none along the trail itself.

Contact Corey Simoneau, PPMNY’s Marketing and Outreach Coordinator, corey.simoneau@ppmny.org with any questions.

Plant Powered Potluck in Jackson Heights

Share in great company and enjoy a wholesome potluck meal with Plant Powered Metro New York, hosted by PPMNY board member Jacquie Talbott.

For the potluck, please choose a recipe made with whole plant foods — whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Please, no animal-based foods, vegan processed foods, white flours, or added oils, and we ask you to minimize added sweeteners and salt.

It’s a good rule of thumb to double a recipe you would make at home! Please bring a serving utensil for your dish.

Not sure what to bring? Reach out to info@ppmny.org for simple dish ideas or explore recipes via our website at ppmny.org/recipes.

Hosted by Jacquie Talbott, PPMNY Board Member

Dinner & Movie Social in East Harlem

Join Plant Powered Metro New York for a flavorful community meal and connection at Ginjan Cafe, a vibrant West African café known for its fresh, nourishing dishes and signature ginger-based beverages. Ginjan Cafe is a proud participant in our Plant Powered Plates initiative, which brings more whole food, plant-based meals to you through partnerships with local eateries.

Ginjan Cafe will prepare a specially curated whole food, plant-based, family-style meal for our group including jollof bowls, salad, roasted plantains, and baked yuca.

Over dinner, we’ll screen PlantWise, a documentary that follows six individuals who transform their health through a whole food, plant-based lifestyle. Blending personal stories with evidence-based nutrition science, the film explores how dietary change can help prevent and even reverse chronic disease while restoring energy and vitality.

The evening will also include opportunities for reflection and conversation designed to foster meaningful connection and shared learning.

$42 per person includes meal and gratuity. All reservations are requested by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, May 26. After this time, limited space may be available, and we will no longer honor refund requests.

Hosted by Danielle Doucette and Rebecca Johnson

Dinner Social in Parkchester

Join your Bronx neighbors for a Bangladeshi dinner at Neerob Restaurant in Parkchester, offered every Friday evening in May. After a brief introduction and presentation, we’ll enjoy a delicious meal made of whole plant foods to support your well-being and prevent and reverse chronic disease. All are welcome!

Family-style dishes to be shared:
• Market dal
• Side of market greens
• Brown rice
• Spinach roti

$20 fixed price includes meal and gratuity. Meals at Neerob hosted by PPMNY are fully plant-based, oil-free, and low in added salt and sugar.

Hosted by Rogier van Vlissingen, PPMNY Ambassador

Cooking with Chef Carole

Virtual

Explore the delicious world of plant-based baking and cooking without added oils, salt, or sugar. This month, Chef Carole Levy, PPMNY Culinary Educator, will be using what’s available in her kitchen to create dishes without recipes! Tune in live to find out what she’s cooking up off-the-cuff.

Event access is by donation or free to anyone unable to contribute. Please choose the option that fits you best and join us!

Registrants will receive recipes and a Facebook Live and YouTube link on the day of the event. Please note that Facebook Live and YouTube streams are available to viewers with or without Facebook or YouTube accounts.

$5 minimum suggested donation.

The Inside Scoop: The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Explained

Virtual

Nutrition advice can feel like a moving target. Every five years, the federal government publishes the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which is supposed to be based on the best available evidence for a healthy diet. In reality, the process and the final guidelines include political compromises — and this year is no different.

Join Plant Powered Metro New York for a timely and engaging conversation with Christopher Gardner, PhD, Stanford professor and member of the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Drawing on decades of research and his firsthand experience, Dr. Gardner will break down the science and the political interests behind the guidelines, offer insights into hot topics like ultra-processed foods and protein, and translate the evidence into practical, everyday choices.

Bring your questions and leave with a clearer, more confident approach to nourishing yourself and your family.

Christopher Gardner, PhD, is the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and a longtime leader at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, where he directs the Stanford Nutrition Studies Research Group. For over 30 years, his research has focused on how different dietary patterns – including Mediterranean, ketogenic, vegan, low-fat, and low-carb diets – impact cardiometabolic health. A nationally recognized expert in nutrition and behavior change, he recently served on the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and previously chaired the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee. His current work explores personalized nutrition, the gut microbiome, and how to make healthy eating both practical and appealing.

Plant Powered Potluck in Astoria

Share in great company and enjoy a wholesome potluck meal with Plant Powered Metro New York when we gather at The Lifestyle Building in Astoria, hosted by Enrica Sacca, PPMNY co-founder and lead organizer.

For the potluck, please choose a plant-based recipe with whole plant foods — whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Please, no animal-based foods, vegan processed foods, white flours, or added oils, and we ask you to minimize added sweeteners and salt.

If this sounds intimidating, don’t worry! Contact Enrica at enrica.sacca@ppmny.org to discuss simple dish ideas or check out our recipes at: ppmny.org/recipes.

It’s a good rule of thumb to double a recipe you would make at home! Please bring a serving utensil for your dish.

Hosted by Enrica Sacca, PPMNY Lead Organizer and Co-Founder

Heart to Healthy Heart: Plant-Based Conversations That Can Save Your Life

Virtual

Heart disease touches us all. It holds the long-standing title as the leading cause of death in the US despite the millions of statins, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, anticoagulants, and aspirin prescribed every year. Fortunately, there’s another promising path we can take to protect our hearts. In this series, you’ll hear the powerful and evidence-based facts about the relationship between cardiovascular health and the food on your plate. We’ll explore the science and the health benefits of consuming a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet with our guest medical experts, including cardiologists and nutritionists.

This month on Heart to Healthy Heart, meet Heather McDougall, CEO of the McDougall Program. Heather is an experienced program director, group facilitator, and whole food, plant-based home chef dedicated to empowering people with the knowledge and practical tools to transform their health. She leads a renowned lifestyle medicine program started by her father, John McDougall, MD, that has been helping reverse chronic illness for over 40 years through a whole food, low-fat, starch-based diet.

The Heart to Healthy Heart series is created and hosted by PPMNY community members, Ben Martens, Judy Zerden, and Jim Spellos, who have each experienced heart conditions and found healing and hope through a whole food, plant-based lifestyle.

Growing Health: A Regenerative Farm Tour in Central NJ

Head out to Central New Jersey for a one-of-a-kind immersive farm experience as we visit two inspiring regenerative farms — Cold Brook Farm in Oldwick and Ethos Farm in Long Valley — for a day of learning, connection, and fresh air. We’ll get closer to the source of our food while deepening our understanding of plant-powered living and sustainable agriculture.

The tour begins at Cold Brook Farm, where farmers Jason and Deb DeSalvo will guide us through their diverse and abundant landscape. Their farm showcases permaculture in action, with over 70 varieties of nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

We’ll then caravan to Ethos Farm, 20 minutes away, a regenerative organic farm and healthcare model, where Jason and Nora Pugliese, Ethos Farm Manager, will continue the conversation. You’ll gain insight into how the production of whole plant foods grown in healthy soils serve as “living medicines” to prevent and reverse chronic disease and advance planetary health.

Following the tour, enjoy a relaxed picnic (please bring your own lunch in a cooler) on the beautiful grounds of Ethos Farm, with the option to purchase freshly-harvested offerings from the Doctor’s Farm Market and nearby farms. Ron Weiss, MD, Ethos Farm to Health founder and PPMNY Healthcare Advisor, will join us over lunch, adding to the opportunity for meaningful discussion and connection.

Participants are welcome to stay into the early afternoon, with the option to attend Ethos Farm’s Farm & Garden Tea Social beginning at 2:00 PM — please register for that event separately if you intend to stay.

About Our Speakers:

Jason DeSalvo grew up in suburban New Jersey, co-founded Strategic Outpatient Services in 1995, and continues to serve as its CEO while also contributing to several nonprofit boards and community organizations. Now a regenerative farmer at Cold Brook Farm, he combines his business background with a passion for sustainable agriculture, whole foods, and an active outdoor lifestyle.

Deb DeSalvo began her career in New York radio before becoming a stay-at-home mother, later evolving into a Master Gardener and environmental educator focused on birds and native plants. She now supports conservation efforts through leadership roles while embracing her interests in nature, baking, reading, and family life.

Nora Pugliese started as a backyard gardener, becoming an apprentice organic farmer in 1994 at Farmer John’s Organic Produce — the first organic farm in New Jersey. By 2000, she started her own organic CSA and ran it for over twelve years. In 2014, Nora became the farm manager at the Ethos Farm to Health, where she transitioned the farm to a certified organic operation and acquired certification from The Real Organic Project.

Ron Weiss, MD, is board certified in Internal and Lifestyle Medicine and is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He is the founder of Ethos Farm to Health and practices primary care in New Jersey and New York.

Presented in partnership with Cold Brook Farm and Ethos Farm to Health

To Register:
A suggested donation of $20, though any amount is welcome

In addition to on-site purchases at the Ethos market, you can pre-purchase certified organic, regeneratively grown grains from Cold Brook Farm at this link. Please make your purchases by Wednesday, June 17, so they are ready to pick up that Friday.
• Glenn Wheat Berries — 5 lbs. $30 / 10 lbs. $56
• Glenn Wheat Flour — 5 lbs. $34
• Streaker Hulless Oat Groats — 5 lbs. $30 / 10 lbs. $56
• Streaker Cold-Rolled Oatmeal — 5 lbs. $34

Hulless oats are especially notable for their nutritional integrity. Unlike most commercially available oats, they require no steaming or processing to remove their hulls, preserving their full, natural nutrient content.

Cold Brook Farm t-shirts, made from 100% organic cotton grown on a small family farm in Texas, will also be available:
• Short sleeve — $20
• Long sleeve — $25

This is an outdoor event. We plan to proceed (light) rain or shine. Please dress appropriately for the weather and farm conditions, including comfortable shoes that can get dirty, sun protection, and water.

The farm is not easily accessible by train or bus. Participants may drive out on their own or request to be part of a carpool. Contact Corey Simoneau, PPMNY’s Marketing and Outreach Coordinator, corey.simoneau@ppmny.org with any questions about carpooling.

Top Five Foods for Hormone Health

Virtual

Hormones influence everything from energy and mood to metabolism and long-term health — and what we eat plays a bigger role than many people realize.

Join Plant Powered Metro New York for an empowering conversation on nutrition and hormone health with Stephanie McBurnett, RDN, Nutrition Educator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Hosted by PPMNY’s Karina Pearse, this presentation will explore how everyday food choices can support hormone balance and overall well-being.

Through a practical, evidence-based approach, Stephanie will highlight the top foods for hormone health, including the important connection between diet, inflammation, fiber, and hormone function. Participants will learn how a low-fat, plant-based eating pattern may help naturally regulate hormones such as insulin and estrogen, while reducing inflammation and oxidative stress linked to conditions including thyroid disease, breast cancer, diabetes, and more.

Stephanie McBurnett, RDN, is a registered dietitian and nutrition educator with PCRM, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing preventive medicine through plant-based nutrition and research. Her work focuses on chronic disease prevention and women’s health, including community education initiatives. A former U.S. Naval Officer, Stephanie brings a warm, practical, and empowering approach to helping people build healthier lives through nutrition.

Plant Powered Potluck in Astoria

Share in great company and enjoy a wholesome potluck meal with Plant Powered Metro New York when we gather at The Lifestyle Building in Astoria, hosted by Enrica Sacca, PPMNY co-founder and lead organizer.

For the potluck, please choose a plant-based recipe with whole plant foods — whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Please, no animal-based foods, vegan processed foods, white flours, or added oils, and we ask you to minimize added sweeteners and salt.

If this sounds intimidating, don’t worry! Contact Enrica at enrica.sacca@ppmny.org to discuss simple dish ideas or check out our recipes at: ppmny.org/recipes.

It’s a good rule of thumb to double a recipe you would make at home! Please bring a serving utensil for your dish.

Hosted by Enrica Sacca, PPMNY Lead Organizer and Co-Founder

Get Started: Embrace the Power of Plants

Virtual

A welcoming introduction to plant-powered living

If you’re curious about eating more plant foods but not sure where to begin, this one’s for you! Whether you’re exploring more natural ways to support your health, hoping to feel more energized, or just want to eat more nourishing meals, this live virtual meeting will help you get started with clarity and confidence.

Join Plant Powered Metro New York for a dynamic, interactive hour that explores the POWER of whole food, plant-based eating:
• Learn the basics of whole food, plant-based nutrition.
• Discover practical tips for stocking your kitchen and building simple meals you’ll enjoy.
• Hear a story of health transformation from a PPMNY community member.
• Bring your questions for our live Q&A and community conversation.

Walk away with fresh inspiration and practical tools to support your journey to lasting health, plus a free starter packet with meal ideas and simple recipes.

Get Started: Embrace the Power of Plants

Virtual

A welcoming introduction to plant-powered living

If you’re curious about eating more plant foods but not sure where to begin, this one’s for you! Whether you’re exploring more natural ways to support your health, hoping to feel more energized, or just want to eat more nourishing meals, this live virtual meeting will help you get started with clarity and confidence.

Join Plant Powered Metro New York for a dynamic, interactive hour that explores the POWER of whole food, plant-based eating:
• Learn the basics of whole food, plant-based nutrition.
• Discover practical tips for stocking your kitchen and building simple meals you’ll enjoy.
• Hear a story of health transformation from a PPMNY community member.
• Bring your questions for our live Q&A and community conversation.

Walk away with fresh inspiration and practical tools to support your journey to lasting health, plus a free starter packet with meal ideas and simple recipes.