World-Renowned Vegan Chef Teaches Food for Life Cooking Classes

He has worked as a chef in some of the world’s finest dining rooms. He was the touring chef for three governors of American Samoa. He has prepared meals for members of the U.S. Congress, the King of Tonga, and other dignitaries from around the world. And now Chef Sualua Tupolo is teaching nutritious cooking to cancer survivors with The Cancer Project’s Food for Life cooking classes.

After 25 years in the culinary arts, Chef Sualua came to the conclusion that the food he was cooking was sending people to an early grave. In his country of American Samoa, he encountered many people with cancer and diabetes related to their poor diet.

“I made a decision to go with my conscience and promote only vegetarian foods,” he said. “I realized that I was part of the problem and I wanted to be part of the solution.”

Chef Sualua began training at the Weimar College of Vegan Culinary Arts in 2002 and is now the director of vegan culinary arts at Atlantic Union College, a program that he created. He recently became involved with the Food for Life cooking classes because they promote the same principles that he holds. “I know that it’s a better lifestyle,” Chef Sualua said. “So closely connected to life is the food we eat.”

His Massachusetts classes are often filled to capacity, so Chef Sualua gets innovative to make sure everyone in the audience can see everything he’s doing. He has an angle mirror and a camera directed right over the cooking station, and large monitors display exactly what’s going on in the pots and on the cutting board.

Chef Sualua says his class participants are often surprised by how simple—and more importantly, how tasty—healthy vegetarian cooking can be. Chef Sualua tries to incorporate many different dishes into each class, including a salad, an entree, such as zucchini hash, and a nondairy beverage like a smoothie.  

“I hope that the participants will see that there are better alternatives out there,” Chef Sualua said. “I hope I can inspire them to take advantage of this type of cooking. I want them to continue to be a blessing to their families.”

Food for Life cooking classes are now available in more than 40 cities across the country. Find a class in your area >

The Cancer Project News, Spring 2006

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