CONNECTICUT - “I want people to say ‘this is simple; I can do this; I don’t even have to boil water!’” Cuisinicity Founder Catherine Katz tells me. “My goal and the goals of [produce professionals] are one and the same,” Catherine explains, “engaging people in loving food that is as tasty and luscious as it is nutritious; it’s about the unencumbered pleasure of good food that one will love and that will love them back.”

For Catherine, delivering a keynote address and designing a menu at Viva Fresh 2017 is the latest stretch of a lifelong journey. From the ivory tower to the kitchen, an upbringing spread across continents and a career in neuroscience, Catherine has put together a unique website and a food philosophy that marries simple, nutritious ingredients with gourmet flavors.

“Cuisinicity comes from the terms ‘cuisine,’ from French, and simplicity and authenticity,” Catherine explains. “The website itself is only just over two years old, but the whole concept has been more than 25 years in the making. It was born when I fell in love with my husband.”

Catherine, a “French foodie,” and her husband didn’t exactly agree on food when the two met at Yale University. For Dr. David Katz, a preventive medicine resident and soon-to-be world-renowned nutrition expert, food had to be good for health (whether or not it was good!) while, for Catherine, a postdoc in neuroscience, food was about pleasure and joy—a joy she acquired growing up in southern France.

“I think that’s when this whole journey of nutritious and delicious began.”

As the couple spent the next several years working as scientists and raising a family (they have five children), Catherine applied a scientific rigor to the meals the Katz clan enjoyed every day. By testing and substituting healthy ingredients into traditional recipes, Catherine created a repertoire of nutritious food—without sacrificing the luxurious flavors and textures of Mediterranean French cuisine.

Eventually, David asked Catherine to collaborate on a book: Dr. David Katz’s Flavor-Full Diet. Though Catherine was initially skeptical that her recipes, however wholesome the ingredients, would meet David’s exacting nutritional standards, years of experimentation had honed her craft. One by one, the recipes she submitted to nutritional analysis proved to be extraordinarily healthy, and Catherine was inspired to share her story and cuisine.

Now an accomplished advocate and chef with collaborations and guest appearances in kitchens around the country, Catherine will be presenting alongside her husband David at Viva Fresh 2017, and the husband-wife dynamic duo plans to offer a menu showcasing simple, authentic, fresh ingredients.

With offerings like a nutritious take on the galette, a Mediterranean couscous salad, and Catherine’s decadent-yet-nutritious Dark Chocolate Lava Cake, convention-goers will have a unique opportunity to sample Catherine’s Cuisinicity hits and witness nutritional theory and practice come together and come to life.

Viva Fresh 2017’s Keynote Luncheon will be held on Friday, April 21 starting at 11:30 a.m.

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