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16 LIVE IT UP! FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2019 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL Kick the Sugar, and Intro to Anti- inflammatory Eating—to name a few of the more popular ones." One individual who has benefited greatly from these classes is Monika Thomas, who attended many Tuesday events from May through November 2018. "The classes with Madia were life changing," says Thomas, who is in her 50s. In addition to the themes Jamgochian mentioned above, Thomas attended free classes on proteins, healthy fats, smart carbs, and eating healthy during the holidays—the latter included samples such as cranberry lemon tart with gingerbread crust and parsnip cauliflower mash with butter, green onion and bacon. She also took part in a fee-based four- evening anti-inflammatory class held in October 2018. For several months, Thomas has been on a grain-free diet and eaten hardly any sugars, "just the occasional maple syrup, or fruit such as berries," says Thomas. "I consider it a Paleo / Keto approach." She has learned to calculate the grams of protein she needs and is using healthy fats (such as ghee). She discovered grain-free chips, tortillas, and pancake mixes that taste good and "digest wonderfully." She also re-introduced meats into her diet; "…however, they are only grass-fed and grass-finished." She learned the difference between those, too. "The nutrition classes were combined with delicious recipes and samples that Madia would cook for us," says Thomas. One sample from Smart Carbs was beet stacks with goat cheese. "I also attended a good class on seaweeds," she adds. (Jamgochian regularly co-teaches the popular Cooking with Wild Seaweeds class with Ian O'Hollaren). "I cannot be more grateful for the changes I was able to implement due to the expertise, knowledge and demonstrations that Madia provided for us," says Thomas. "Most of the classes are free, except the four-week series on anti-inflammatory science and foods (well worth it, as you can cure autoimmune diseases through the intake of correct foods). Overall, I am spending more on healthy and organic foods and meats, and am grateful that I am investing in myself that way." The four-week series Thomas refers to is called "Anti-Inflammatory Integrative Wellness Series," which Jamgochian teaches with co- instructor Magali Brecke every February and October. The next one is on four consecutive Wednesday nights, February 6-27. "I was lucky enough to be scouted by Madia for teaching at The Classroom almost three years ago," says Brecke, an anti- inflammatory chef and co-founder/ nutritional director of Kitchen Witch Bone Broth. "Together, we have taught our popular Anti Inflammatory series twice per year, taking a whole month to dive deep with our students, many of who are dealing with chronic illness." Brecke also teaches a class on The Ketogenic Diet, and a workshop on making high-quality bone broth at home. Later in 2019, she plans to expand her offerings. CONTINUED FROM 15 CONTINUES ON 17 Chefs Eriko Yokoyama and Masumi Diaz. Photo contributed Ian and Madia harvesting for wild seaweed class. Photo credit Dan Coyro, Santa Cruz Sentinel Kimchi from a class with chefs Eriko and Masumi. Photo credit Madia Jamgochian