Dr. Akil Taher is the author of OPEN HEART a book that chronicles his transformational journey. Dr. Taher had angioplasty at 56, open heart surgery at 61, and ran his first half marathon less than a year later. He then proceeded to run the Chicago, Boston, and Mumbai marathons, and also climbed mountains. He transformed from a middle-aged couch potato with a dangerously bad diet into a vital, energetic athlete, ever seeking new challenges and adventures. His whole food plant-based diet played a major part in his transformation.

Guy Vaknin is a renowned chef famous for his innovative plant-based creations. After serving in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), Vaknin moved to New York in 2005 to study computer engineering. But he quickly realized that his calling was in the food industry. Chef Vaknin then enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education. Upon graduating in 2007, he became the Executive Chef at Esprit Events, an established kosher catering company in Manhattan. In this role, he met his future wife and co-founder Tali. Together, they developed their signature vegan sushi and the Beyond Sushi brand was born. He is the founder and owner of City Roots Hospitality, New York City’s leading vegan restaurant group, which includes Beyond Sushi, Willow, and his latest vegan restaurant, Coletta.

beyondsushi.com
willownewyork.com
colettanyc.com
cityrootsnyc.com

Rachel McCrystal is the Executive Director at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary. She has been at the Sanctuary for seven years. Rachel has volunteered for and worked at various animal rights, conservation, and sheltering organizations over the last 15 years with a focus on development, marketing, campaigns, and strategic planning. She’s been widely published with stories on animal rights and liberation.