Make a date with a friend to meet at a Monday Dinner, or come by yourself and make new friends! Either way, you'll get a great meal and a lot more--everyone wins!

Help publicize the Monday Dinners! An easy way to spread the word about our weekly community gathering is to click on the Tell-A-Friend link in the upper left of this page. Just fill out the form with the email addresses of up to two friends, along with any personal comments you'd like to add, and click Submit--this emails your comments along with pre-written details of the Dinners and a link to this website!

Another way to help is to post a copy of our Dinner Menus in public locations. For a pdf file suitable for printing, click here.

On May 11, 1987, Chef Gary Alinder cooked a Gourmet Vegetarian Dinner for the Peninsula Macrobiotic Community at St. Bede's Church in Menlo Park. That first cooking gig marked the start of a regular Monday Dinner event—along with its associated friendships, educational activities, and community—which has repeated itself well past 1000 times. Join us on May 9 to celebrate our remarkable 24th Anniversary!

Monthly Vegan Potlucks! The Peninsula Veggie Potluck People, a spinoff of the Monday Dinners, sponsor monthly vegan potlucks; for details, visit http://pvpp.org. For information or to host a potluck, call John Cabrera at 650 799-7186.

Veggielution, a nonprofit community farm seeking to create a sustainable food system in San Jose, will hold their Avant Garden 2011 fundraiser on Friday, April 15, 7-10 pm, $10. Devour a variety of farm fresh treats prepared by Laura Stec, local author and chef extraordinaire, plus four other talented local chefs, and enjoy a silent art auction, featuring farm-inspired art produced by visionary local artists. Kaleid Gallery, 88 South Fourth St. (at San Fernando), Downtown San Jose. Info: http://www.veggielution.org/avantgarden

The 42nd Annual French Meadows Summer Camp, sponsored by the George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation (G.O.M.F.), takes place July 9-17 in the majestic Tahoe National Forest. Teachers include Lino Stanchich, Bob Carr, Ronald Koetzsch, PhD, Bob Ligon, Sheri DeMaris, Laura Stec, Carl and Julia Ferré, Bhumi Russell, Mike and Maria Chen, Mary Lore, Kerry Loeb, Karen Garvey, Shirley Tung, Michael Bauce, Lenny Rubin, and Christy Morgan. Delicious macrobiotic meals are prepared by Packy Conway, Susanne Jensen, and staff over wood fires. Also included are children's activities, campfires, cooking demos/classes, hikes, volleyball, variety show, and more—for a truly unforgettable experience!

Fees are $890/adult (member of G.O.M.F.), $450/youth aged 3 to 18; discounts of $50 (adult) and $25 (youth) for full payment by May 15. Membership in the G.O.M.F. costs $35/family; the camp fee for a non-member is $990/adult. Partial stays and work exchange are possible. For information, call Carl Ferré at 800 232-2372, pick up a camp brochure at Dinner, or visit http://ohsawamacrobiotics.com.

Chef Gary Alinder has started a blog at http://macrochef.wordpress.com. Tune into Gary's views on a variety of subjects including food and health, and leave your comments! He has also posted a recipe archive which includes soups; main dishes; sauces, gravies, and dressings; and desserts and snacks.

The North Bay Macrobiotic Potluck Group usually meets the first Sunday of each month in Santa Rosa, contact Stephen Starkweather ( ), 707 542-9739, http://www.northbaymacro.org.  

James Holloway, frequent Guest Chef at the Monday Dinners, does personal home cooking in Palo Alto, in macrobiotic and classical styles, call 650 852-9182.

For cooking classes, lectures, and related activities by Marin-based cookbook author, lecturer, and macrobiotic food coach Meredith McCarty, visit http://healingcuisine.com or call 415 272-5525. Meredith plans to teach her popular cooking classes on the peninsula later this year.

For information on macrobiotic activities in the East Bay, contact Macrobiotic Health Counselor Michelle Nemer in El Cerrito, 510 527-4367 or She will teach Healing Essentials & Health Renewal Workshops on Thursday nights: April 7, 21, 28, and May 5, 12, 19, and 26; from 7-9:30 pm in Oakland, $30. Each workshop is designed around a seasonal theme, and includes self-massage, diagnosis, and macrobiotic healthcare, along with dessert and tea. Also, she offers cooking classes and workshops on Saturdays: April 9 and 30, and May 21 and 28, $50.

Macrobiotic Counselor Julie Ong teaches macrobiotic cooking classes and does macrobiotic consultations in San Francisco; visit http://www.everythingmacrobiotics.com or call 415 312-0241.

Speakers receive a gratuity from the audience; please show your support and appreciation with a donation ($5-10 suggested).

On April 25, we will host a special presentation, Cooking with Kids in Schools. Since 1999, teachers Susanne Jensen and Michael Bauce have been giving cooking classes in elementary and middle schools in Berkeley, as part of the California Nutrition Network (CNN) funded by the USDA. When children are actively participating in fun activities ranging from growing food in the garden, to cooking in the kitchen, to eating with friends and family, they are more open to discovering and adopting healthful foods and habits of healthy living that are likely to stay with them for the rest of their lives. If you have children or are curious about how to create excitement and enthusiasm for whole grains, vegetables, and other nutritious foods, you will be inspired by this presentation. Included will be two short video clips from Susanne's and Michael's cooking classes in Berkeley.

Susanne Jensen began studying macrobiotics in the early 1980s at the Kushi Institute, where she was asked to become a cooking teacher. A yearning to become a yoga teacher brought her to San Francisco in 1988, where she continued her cooking activities including a macrobiotic take-out service for eight years. She also taught cooking out of her home, at the Macrobiotic Cafe in Oakland and the College of Marin, and at special programs in Europe and Australia. For 10 years she has been a co-head chef at the annual French Meadows Summer Camp. She currently teaches cooking to students at Willard Middle School in Berkeley, and is raising a teen-aged daughter. (For more on Susanne, see Making a Difference Through Cooking, An Interview with Susanne Jensen.)
YouTube video: willard's iron chef

Michael Bauce has studied macrobiotics since 1988. He was a main chef at both the Macrobiotic Grocery and Learning Center (1990-1995) and Manzanita Restaurant (2006-2009) in Oakland, CA. He has conducted private and group cooking classes at youth centers, schools, senior centers, summer camps, hospitals, and Farmers' Markets. Michael has been a CNN cooking teacher since 1999 and is currently teaching at Thousand Oaks Elementary School in Berkeley. He has two sons who were raised macrobiotically, 25 and 21. Michael is available for consultations
YouTube video: Cooking with Thousand Oaks Kids
Interview: Michael Bauce on cooking in schools (mp3, 2:00)

On May 16, practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bob Ligon will speak on Moving to a Healthy, Macrobiotic Way of Eating. Macrobiotic teachings regarding food selection and preparation can be confusing and off-putting. Strange sounding foods and a myriad of cooking techniques, not to mention complex theory, can be discouraging, especially for someone new to macrobiotics who may have health concerns. This presentation will be a how-to discussion of moving to a healthy, macrobiotic way of eating and living, maintaining it in our modern, fast-paced lifestyles, and adapting and changing when appropriate. Topics covered will include: the energetics of food according to macrobiotics, menu planning, food selection, food preparation techniques, and the aesthetics of eating. The presentation will be guided by your questions on starting and personalizing a health-promoting practice of macrobiotics.

Bob Ligon worked at the Vega Study Center and George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation from 1989-1993, was the editor of Macrobiotics Today from 1992-2000, and is a lecturer and counselor at the annual French Meadows Macrobiotic Summer Camp. He studied acupuncture and herbology, graduating from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego in 1998. He integrates his knowledge of macrobiotics and Chinese Medicine in his diet, lifestyle counseling, and life coaching. Currently, Bob practices Traditional Chinese Medicine in Akron, Ohio and does counseling and life coaching by phone. He can be reached at 330-696-3385 for telephone appointments.  

The Community Connection feature appears when an author is inspired enough to produce an interview or profile for publication.

Enjoy these past features on community members by Denise Huajardo Springer, Sky Ann McGrath, and Gerard Lum:

• Simply Paul Schmitt
• Life Really Does Begin at 40! An Interview with Diane Wohler
• Eating Mother's Chicken: Making Choices in Life, An Interview with Gary Alinder
• Plain Miklane? An Interview with Miklane Janner
• Ken Becker on Macrobiotics, Part One
• Ken Becker on Macrobiotics, Part Two
• Passionate About Growing Healthy Food, An Interview with Patricia Becker
• By Having Hope, What Are You Going to Lose? An Interview with Geneva Page and Baron
• You Can Really Fly with It, An Interview with Gerard Lum
• An Evolving Vision of Community, An Interview with Miklane Janner
• Making a Difference Through Cooking, An Interview with Susanne Jensen 

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Mailing List Policy: To get a printed copy of the Newsletter and Dinner Menus delivered by postal mail, or call the phone number below. To offset the expense of producing the Newsletter and Menus, we suggest a contribution of $10/year or more. The date and amount of your last newsletter contribution appears on your mailing label. Write checks to "Peninsula Macrobiotic Community", and mail to Gerard Lum, 101 E. Middlefield Road #9, Mountain View, CA 94043, 650 903-0447.

We periodically review our mailing list. Those who have not made a recent contribution are subject to removal.

Tax-Deductible Contributions: We welcome and can use additional contributions to the Peninsula Macrobiotic Community, as income from the Dinners does not pay all of our expenses. We are a nonprofit organization, so additional contributions are fully tax-deductible. Send contributions to the address in Mailing List Policy above.

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