Our chefs
Our chefs
The recipes in this cookbook were contributed by talented chefs from around the world
with beautiful dishes and stories to share. Here’s a bit about each of them:
Ina Garten is a New York Times bestselling author, the host of Be My Guest and Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and Max, for which she has won five Emmy Awards and three James Beard Awards. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Jeffrey.
Chef José Andrés, twice named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People,” is a renowned culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, and humanitarian. He popularized tapas in America with his restaurant Jaleo and operates nearly 40 restaurants globally. In 2010, he founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit providing meals in response to crises, serving over 400 million meals worldwide. Andrés has earned numerous awards, including the National Humanities Medal and the Courage & Civility Award, for his impactful work.
Daniel Humm is an author, speaker, and the transformative chef and owner of Daniel Humm Hospitality, the New York-based hospitality group behind the highly acclaimed Eleven Madison Park, the upcoming Clemente Bar, and direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand Eleven Madison Home. Chef Humm is the author of Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook, I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes, The NoMad Cookbook, Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter, and Eat More Plants. His upcoming cookbook, Eleven Madison Park: The Plant-Based Chapter, will be released in November 2024.
Marcus Samuelsson is a renowned chef behind acclaimed restaurants like Red Rooster (NYC, Miami), Hav & Mar, and Marcus Bar & Grille. He’s the youngest recipient of a three-star New York Times review and has won eight James Beard Awards. Samuelsson also earned a 2023 Emmy for My Mark, and frequently judges shows like Top Chef Masters and Chopped All-Stars. An Iron Chef on Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, he’s the author of multiple books, including Yes, Chef and The Rise.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Executive Chef Hillary Sterling first felt the pull of the industry as a teenager bussing tables during summers in Montauk, New York. She’s since worked alongside renowned chefs Bobby Flay and Missy Robbins, and has built her career in celebrated New York restaurants such as Mesa Grill, Lupa, A Voce, and Vic’s. Today, Chef Hillary helms the kitchen at Ci Siamo where she’s created an ambitious restaurant centered around live fire cooking and the understated excellence of seasonal ingredients. The culmination of her diverse culinary training and extensive travels, Ci Siamo is Hillary’s most personal project to date and celebrates the power of simplicity.
Mona Vand began her career as a pharmacist and gradually shifted toward wellness and nutrition. She uses her education and work experience to share health information in a relatable and digestible way. Mona believes that food is powerful medicine, and she lives by that philosophy each and every day.
Candice Kumai, an award-winning author of seven New York Times bestsellers, has been a celebrated presence on the TODAY Show for over 15 years. She has been featured in Vogue, Bon Appetit, Elle, and the New York Times Travel Show renowned for her culinary, wellness, and beauty expertise. Candice has made her mark as a chef on trending shows like Top Chef and Selena + Chef. She has a cult-followed podcast Wabi Sabi and resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Pati Jinich is an Emmy-nominated host and executive producer of the PBS docuseries La Frontera and Pati’s Mexican Table, which has brought Mexican flavors into American homes for over a decade. A James Beard award-winning chef and former political analyst, Pati works to build understanding between Mexico and the U.S. She’s also a New York Times bestselling author of three cookbooks, including Treasures of the Mexican Table, and has contributed to publications like The New York Times.
Diane Kochilas is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, chef, and host of the PBS series My Greek Table. Her latest book, The Ikaria Way: 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes Inspired by My Homeland, celebrates the longevity-focused cuisine of Ikaria, Greece. A follow-up to her popular 2014 book, Ikaria Lessons and inspired by her home, her cooking school and her family’s heritage on the Blue Zone-designated Greek island of Ikaria, The Ikaria Way showcases Diane’s easy and delicious recipes, unlocking the simple and vibrant ways Ikarians have eaten for centuries. Diane has authored 18 books on Greek cuisine, including the award-winning Country Cooking of Greece. She also runs the Glorious Greek Cooking School on Ikaria.
Sabrina Rudin is a lighthouse entrepreneur, writer and recipe developer in the food and wellness space. She is the founder and CEO of Spring Cafe Aspen, an organic and vegetarian restaurant with locations in Aspen and New York City. Sabrina shares her recipes, tips for healthy living and other musings on life, motherhood and career with an engaged audience via social media. Sabrina lives in Manhattan with her husband Michael, and their three sons.
Karla Tatiana Vasquez is a food writer, recipe developer, and food stylist based in Los Angeles. She is also a food justice advocate and an active member in her community to increase healthy food accessibility in low-income communities, previously working with Hunger Action Los Angeles and Los Angeles Food Policy Council. She founded SalviSoul in an effort to preserve her family’s recipes, and since then it’s expanded to focus on cultural memory and intergenerational healing for the Salvadoran diaspora.
Jacqueline King Schiller is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute and the author of the cookbook, Pescan: A Feel Good Cookbook, which includes pescatarian, dairy-free recipes for healthy eating, inspired by macrobiotic and Mediterranean diets. Her cooking is centered on plant-based dishes that are meant to be enjoyed with friends and family.
Dr. Adam is the Director of Health Media Innovation and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine. In 2013, Adam created the massive open online course Stanford Child Nutrition and Cooking, and the following year, Adam published her book, Food, Love, Family: A Practical Guide to Child Nutrition, which explores the many facets of healthy eating for families around the world.
Beejhy Barhany is the founding owner and executive chef of Tsion Cafe, an Ethiopian and Israeli restaurant in Harlem’s historic Sugar Hill neighborhood. She was born in Ethiopia, raised mostly in Israel, and moved to New York in 2001. In 2003, she founded BINA Cultural Foundation, a cultural organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community within the United States. She is a frequent cooking teacher and speaker at Jewish cultural events in the New York area. She lives with her husband and two children in Harlem.
Wendy Lopez, MS, RDN, CDCES, is a nationally recognized Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist with a strong commitment to making nutrition education accessible and inclusive for all. As the COO and co-founder of Diabetes Digital, Wendy has played a crucial role in creating a cutting-edge tech platform that offers specialized nutrition counseling services for people living with diabetes and prediabetes.
If you don’t see a name next to a recipe, it’s because it was created by Tess Bredesen, Thrive Global’s Cognitive Nutrition Director! Tess works on all things nutrition at Thrive. She is also the founder of Sia Health, a practice which specializes in the implementation of the Bredesen Protocol, the first program proven to prevent and reverse cognitive decline.
Kamy Guevara is a private chef from Mexico who first came to California 34 years ago. Six years ago, she began working for a chef in Montecito, California, who inspired her to cook for different families in the state. Today, she works for several families of different backgrounds and she likes to cook from the heart instead of following exact recipes.
Explore our recipes
Easy-to-make dishes filled with healthy, affordable ingredients and global flavors.
About the Thrive Global Cookbook
Healthy eating is for everyone — and it doesn’t have to be expensive. The Thrive Global Cookbook includes globally-inspired recipes, healthy swaps, and Microsteps to make healthy eating fun and achievable. By making small changes to what you eat, you can see big improvements in your daily life.
Blue Shield of California
Promise Health Plan
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan is committed to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves. Through this collaboration, we aim to provide valuable resources that promote healthy living and support individuals in creating sustainable, nutritious eating habits.
A challenge and an opportunity
Healthy swaps
Make your next meal more affordable (and just as delicious) with these creative swaps:
Instead of regular rice
Instead of tortilla chips
Instead of ice cream
Instead of canned beans
Additional resources
We want to hear from you
Our goal is for this cookbook to be accessible and easy for everyone to use. Please share your feedback on the Thrive Global Cookbook here.
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Discover delicious, low-cost recipes, Microsteps for building healthy habits, and much more.
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan is an independent licensee of the Blue Shield Association