Nathan Lyon ('94)

If you want to learn how to cook a healthy, mouthwatering meal, Nathan Lyon is just the person to help you out. This JMU alum, celebrity chef and TV culinary host has a powerful message. "Great food starts fresh, and the fresher the ingredients, the better the meal," he says, encouraging the audience to make healthier food choices. Since beginning his culinary career in his grandmother's kitchen, Nathan has always appreciated the value of fresh, seasonal ingredients. Classes at JMU in anatomy, physiology and biology brought the realization that "the simple act of eating fresh, unadulterated food is good, preventive medicine. Why not stay healthy in the first place? Certainly pills don't taste as good as seasonal produce," says Nathan. While backpacking through Europe after graduation and seeing firsthand the reverence for fresh, locally produced foods in marketplace after marketplace, he was convinced that great food yields good health. Now, in his dynamic television show, he has the opportunity to help Americans understand that food is not only one of life's pleasures but also a key to better health. Surrounded by the sweet aroma of success, Nathan keeps it simple: "Good health and good food just seemed like the perfect match. Everyone has to eat, I just want people to eat well."

"Buying locally grown, seasonal food not only supports one's community, but the food just tastes better, often costs less, and given the close proximity from which the food is harvested, is even better for the environment."