Richard LaMarita has had a diverse culinary career. He was a Chef-instructor in the world-renowned plant-based program at the Natural Gourmet Institute, NYC, for 25 years. His specialty, along with vegetarian and vegan cooking, is Indian and Italian. He is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in having completed the Culinary Arts and Culinary Management Program and he has worked with numerous chefs in NYC, including Chef Floyd Cardoz, Dan Kluger and Ben Pollinger at Tabla Restaurant. Rich has been a practitioner and teacher of Ayurveda, a science of life, health and balance, for 35 years. He has studied with Vedic and Ayurvedic master, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and has led seminars on Ayurveda, including Ayurvedic Diet, Cooking, Yoga and Meditation throughout the U.S., and in Europe and Asia.