Former “junk food vegan” chef Del Sroufe has turned his health around by preparing his meals with a plant base, and he loves the results.
On Wednesday at 6 p.m., The Plains Public Library will be hosting an event with Sroufe, the executive chef of Wellness Forum Foods, a commercial kitchen in Columbus and author of three cookbooks.
At the event, Sroufe will be discussing his weight loss journey, sharing recipes and previewing his upcoming cookbooks, according to the Athens County Public Library's website.
“Chef Del has a following in Athens and has presented here in the past when hosted by Live Healthy Appalachia,” Betty Ranck, The Plains Library Art In The Library coordinator, said in an email.
Sroufe is known for being a vegan chef, with most of his recipes being plant-based, but he did not start out cooking this way. He learned to cook about the time his parents got a divorce, cooking along with his father who started learning off the back of a Bisquick box, he said. He continued to gain kitchen experience and by the time he was 11 years old, Sroufe was cooking mainly for his mother, who would come home from work “deprived,” he said.
Although he began cooking at a young age, Sroufe did not pursue his career as a chef until later in life. When he was attending school at Ohio State University, majoring in business, he realized he did not enjoy it at all, so he decided to get a job where he could gain management experience. The restaurant he ended up at happened to be a vegetarian restaurant, which is where he began cooking plant-based meals.
“I got the job and went to work there and eventually ended up in the kitchen, where I stayed,” Sroufe said.
Although Sroufe began his plant-based cooking career in 1989, he did not become a vegan until 1997 which, at first, was not a walk in the park. He was dealing with health issues at the time and gained 200 pounds on a vegan diet because of some of the unhealthy vegan alternatives society has to offer, he said.
“It was finding a healthier, ... plant-based diet that helped me lose 200 pounds and helps keep me from being that 500 pound person again,” Sroufe said.
Although he has changed his eating habits, Sroufe said he still struggles with his weight and health, but staying on a plant-based diet has benefitted him.
“I look all around me, and I’m inspired by ingredients. ... I’m inspired by the way I like to eat,” he said.
On Wednesday, Sroufe plans on sharing these inspirations with the audience as well as discussing what to expect in his upcoming book.
“We are anticipating a large crowd so we will also be live streaming on Facebook,” Ranck said.
Along with his excitement to share his passions with others, Sroufe said he is looking forward to going to Athens to see some friends in the area.
“My goal is to open the mind up to what’s possible ... You can adopt this diet, eat this way, and really enjoy good food and have great health,” Sroufe said.
