January 27 we had the amazing opportunity to have dinner with the Esselstyns and hear their presentations at a local support group event.  Dr. Esselstyn is a rock star in the world of plant-based nutrition.  If you’ve seen Forks Over Knives, then you know who he is. He has been a clinician and researcher for more than 35 years at the Cleveland Clinic, was the president of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons,  and wrote Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. He won a gold medal in the Olympics for rowing and the Bronze Star as a surgeon in Vietnam.  He also won the first Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in  Medicine in 2005. His wife, Ann Crile Esselstyn, created the recipes for Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Their daughter, Jane Esselstyn, RN, is a teacher, nurse, and wrote the recipes for My Beef with Meat and The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn.  Ann and Jane recently wrote The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, which is full of delicious recipes that make eating a plant-based diet a pleasure. This charming, energetic family works tirelessly to help people by educating them about the power of a plant-based lifestyle.  We were grateful, honored, and humbled to be able to meet them and learn from them.