Monmouth Medical Center and WEforum Present Eat for Life: Food for Thought, Featuring Harvard-Trained Nutritional Psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo and Chef Marcy Ragan
By Laura Oncea, WEforum Editor
Join us for this exciting event — register here!
Eat Well, Feel Well, Think Clearly
Final Ad 8.5x11 FlyerWEforum, in partnership with Monmouth Medical Center, is proud to announce an exclusive event, Eat for Life: Food for Thought, featuring renowned Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef, nutrition biologist, and author Dr. Uma Naidoo, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at Whitechapel Projects, located at 15 2nd Ave, Long Branch, NJ. Availability for this exclusive event is limited.
“Most people overlook the power at the end of their forks to feel emotionally better,” noted Dr. Naidoo.
This special evening will center on Dr. Naidoo’s groundbreaking work on the connection between diet and anxiety, as presented in her book, Calm Your Mind with Food: A Revolutionary Guide to Controlling Your Anxiety. Dr. Naidoo, author of the acclaimed This is Your Brain on Food, will provide an exclusive opportunity to gain insight into the crucial connection between diet and mental wellness and how food can be used as a delicious and effective tool to manage anxiety, calm the mind, and revolutionize your life.
Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the U.S. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at MGH Academy while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. She has garnered national and international recognition for her pioneering work, and has been featured in prestigious media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Harvard Health Press, and Goop.
The event will feature a multicourse dinner meticulously curated by Chef Marcy Ragan, the event’s Chair and chef-owner of Relish Your Chef, a bespoke private chef company based in Monmouth County. Chef Ragan, trained in the kitchens of Perugia, Italy, and at the French Culinary Institute, brings her expertise in European cuisine to this event, focusing on nutritious, delicious dishes inspired by Dr. Naidoo’s research. Chef Ragan’s culinary work has been highlighted in publications such as Yahoo Finance, Gannett Newspapers, and Food52, where she contributed a “Genius Recipe.” She is passionate about teaching families to eat healthfully through her program, “Picky No More, Easy ABCs to Feed the Whole Family.”
Event Details:
- Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
- Location: Whitechapel Projects, 15 2nd Avenue, Long Branch, NJ
- Cocktails: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Dinner & Program: 7:00 – 9:00 pm (Program: 7:30 – 8:30 pm)
- Attire: Dinner/Cocktail
The event will be held at Marilyn Schlossbach’s Whitechapel Projects, an innovative space in Long Branch, NJ. A longstanding fixture on the New Jersey culinary scene, Schlossbach is known for leveraging her leadership, creativity, and values-driven ethos to advocate for social and environmental initiatives.
“Nutritional psychiatry is not a fad diet, but an approach to living that offers flexibility and grace,” emphasizes Dr. Naidoo.
Guests will be able to explore how food can be used as a powerful tool to promote mental wellness while enjoying an elegant dinner in a vibrant and creative space. Dr. Naidoo’s insights and Chef Ragan’s culinary creations will offer a comprehensive approach to improving mental health through nutrition.
Proceeds from Eat for Life: Food for Thought will benefit WEforum’s Eat For Life initiative, which funds free educational health and wellness programs at the LiveWell Center at the Anne Vogel Family Care and Wellness Center in Eatontown. These programs focus on the importance of nutrition and the critical connection between gut health and mental well-being.
The Eat for Life Committee members include:The Eat for Life Committee members include: Chair: Marcy Ragan; Jennifer Borenius, Executive Director of WEforum; Amanda Brockwell; Clare Broderick, Director of Partnership Development; Karen Campi, Director of Partnership Development; Lauren Cesario; Alexandria Ciccarelli; Lauren Daszkowski; Carolyn DeSena, Founder of WEforum; Vanessa Drew; Barbara Goldfarb, Creative Director; Jen Johnson; Laura Oncea, Director of Marketing; Marilyn Piperno, Director of Partnership Development; Gail Tobias, Director of Development; Mary Quinlan, Director of Youth Programming; and Gail Van Winkle, Creative Director.
To reserve your spot and explore sponsorship opportunities, please register at www.rwjbh.org/eat. For more information, contact Evelyn Nitis at evelyn.nitis@rwjbh.org.
Access the full invitation:
