Laura Stec is a San Francisco Bay Area chef and environmental advocate who teaches about the artistry, health, and energetics of cooking. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America, the School of Natural Cookery, and the Vega Macrobiotic Study Center before starting her own personal chef/catering business, Laura StecInnovative Cuisine, and joining Kaiser Permanente Medical Group as their culinary health educator. Since 1989, Stec has been promoting the idea that one of the most positive effects we can have on the environment begins on our dinner plate, a message she continues to expound upon at Acterra, an environmental organization she has served with for twelve years. With over twenty-five years experience in the food industry, Stec now partners with EcoSpeakers.com to lecture and consult with corporations and institutions on ways to bring in regionally responsible food systems. "