About Founder – Cindy Siegenfeld

Hi, I’m Chef Cindy – Founder of The Mindful Fork

You are in the right place if:

you love food

you love animals

you want to save the planet!

Ok, saving the world may be a bit extreme, but that’s not far from my reasons for developing The Mindful Fork! If you’re like me, you enjoy every aspect of food, especially the social part. We get together with friends & family and almost always center events around food – wondering what we will eat and where?

When we think of the holidays we celebrate, a food-related tradition pops into our minds. With food being such a central part of our lives, why don’t we pay more attention to where it comes from and the effects our food choices have on our bodies and the earth?

These concerns have been the sole driving force for my career and the personal decisions I have made throughout my life. I am grateful that with so much focus and concern about climate change, the world is finally starting to be mindful of these connections.

My questions started in my 20’s – why should I eat more vegetables and less meat? How do I prepare my meal with healthier ingredients? What vegetables or fruits must I only eat organic? Are the animals treated humanely? Are my recipe ingredients sustainably sourced? My curiosity was endless – the more I read, the more I wanted to learn and apply to my everyday decisions.

That was just the beginning of my journey. I continued to delve deeper by studying holistic nutrition, becoming a vegan chef, developing and teaching a food & sustainability course, writing food & eco-wellness magazine articles, and guiding clients with personalized instruction through my business, Turning Point Culinary. For over 15 years! 

We are all seeking sustainable solutions, especially in combatting the climate crisis and reducing our carbon footprint within the complex food chain. So I developed The Mindful Fork to be a collaborative platform of eco-conscious recipes with quick & easy tips, a guide to eco-friendly kitchen resources, and a welcoming, eco-minded community that can inspire more environmentally conscious decisions. That’s it in a nutshell!

My hope is, with a growing synergistic team on The Mindful Fork, we will share thought-provoking articles & recipes to guide the world towards more mindful decisions from “the ground up” that will serve you and the planet well. 

I believe everyone inherently wants to do good, but many of us have limited time, money, and resources to make those positive & impactful decisions. The Mindful Fork is a website for everyone to feel comfortable moving forward in a “greener” direction.

You are welcome to The Mindful Fork – whether you are a meat-eater presently wanting to become more plant-based or a vegetarian moving towards a vegan lifestyle. If you’re here, you’ve taken the first big step in wanting to do more for yourself and the planet!

And remember – we can all make a difference, one fork at a time!

Want to know a little more about me – Chef Cindy?

I’ll keep it short & sweet with these eight fun facts:

1. I have had a love for cooking since I was a kid, but I didn’t pursue my passion professionally until I was 40 and became a vegan chef. However, my cooking skills were always a great plus for impressing dates in my twenties.
2. When dining out, I used to be that annoying person at the table asking what the sources were for ingredients used in the meal! I’ve calmed down since then with a better knowledge of the restaurants I dine at and menus openly sharing ingredient sources.
3. I am a firm believer that we all can make a difference with our actions & reactions. We should never doubt the power of our words and the influence we have on the products we purchase.
4. My dream career was to be a professional dancer on broadway. I’ve kept this dream alive, always dancing (& singing) through my days with whatever I do.
5. I love to cook and entertain, but not always at the same time. It’s much more fun being the party girl at my party.
6. I have three grown kids, all in their 20’s, that love my company – although I do embarrass them with my humor at times.
7. Somewhat crazy, but I almost lost a friendship over organic milk! I believe that every bite/drink matters – especially when it comes to my kids, animals, and the planet.
8. I have fluctuated a bit between being a vegan & vegetarian, but I mainly consider myself an eco-conscious flexitarian, you got it, an Eco-Flexitarian! No judgment and only respect for the die-hard vegans & vegetarians.

xo chef cindy
the mindful fork

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