“For anyone who wants to celebrate food while getting healthy and living lightly on the planet, Leslie Cerier is your guide”
– Mark Hyman MD
“Leslie knows how to make the tastiest meals from the healthiest ingredients, making living food come alive in ways I never thought possible. She was Master Chef for our Growing a new Body programs and we adore her preparations!”
-Alberto Villoldo PhD, Bestselling author of Shaman Healer Sage
“Thank you again for your Guest Chef Consultation and event, the food was excellent.”
-Garett DiStefano, Director Residential Dining, UMass Amherst, MA
“Leslie Cerier works her culinary magic, sharing her creative genius for enchanting, earth-friendly recipes.“
-Kathie Madonna Swift MS RD LDN
“Leslie Cerier is the consummate master of conscious cookery, a veritable culinary goddess.”
-Chris Kilham, The Medicine Hunter
“Leslie is a hot ticket. She’s inspired, inspiring, super talented, fearless, fun(!) and knows her stuff. She’s also dedicated life-styler who walks the talk – and that means something to me.
I love hanging out and working with Leslie, hearing about all the great things happening in her career – one big gig after another, one booked-out-with-waiting-list special event at one super eco chic venue after another. Talk about someone deserving.
Mostly I love Leslie’s zest for life(!) As an environmentalist, I appreciate she’s out there sharing such great pleasure-is-healthy and food-is-medicine life philosophies with the world. Leslie is PART OF THE SOLUTION.”
-Zoe Helene, Founder, Cosmic Sister
“Leslie is the real deal. She understands food and wellness with a rare depth, and she shares her wisdom with playfulness and grace. Everything she does–from cooking to teaching–is delicious!”
-Robyn Lawrence, Former Editor-in-Chief, Organic Spa Magazine
“First, let me take a moment to thank you for teaching your classes at the Natural Gourmet. They were well received. I really enjoyed sitting in and listening to you. You have a nice and easy way about you and are generous with your information.“
-Judith Friedman, Director of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health
“Leslie Cerier is a talented, compassionate, and educated “Organic Gourmet.” On two occasions, I have had the pleasure of featuring Leslie on my weekly radio show and I plan on inviting her back for another interview soon!
Her recipes are delicious, accessible, healthy and easy to follow and her personality exudes enthusiasm for everything that she does. I look forward to working with Leslie on other projects in the future!”
-Laura Theodore, The Jazzy Vegetarian, Radio & TV Host, Vegan Chef and Author
“In her inimitable style, Leslie Cerier presents a wealth of seasonal recipes…that are as flexible as they are healthy and delicious.
No one will feel deprived with such luscious dishes as Hearty Greens and Tofu in Tahini Sauce or Banana Buckwheat Pancakes with Pecans.
Best of all, these recipes aren’t only for those with dietary restrictions—a wealth of ideas awaits anyone who loves fresh produce and whole grains in creative combinations.”
-Nava Atlas, author and illustrator of many vegan and vegetarian cookbooks, and founder and creator of vegkitchen.com
Testimonials from Participants
– “Leslie, I thoroughly enjoyed your cooking lesson today- you made it fun and you engaged everyone. I learned a great deal!”
– Allen; Connecticut
-“I thought your private zoom lesson for our bachelorette party was great, thank you so much!! Everyone was very complimentary of you and your cooking style.”
-Sara; Wisconsin
– “We had a lovely time with Leslie during our private, virtual cooking lesson! Leslie demonstrated how to prepare delicious, vegetarian sushi rolls and spent time educating our group on the nutritional value of all the seasonal ingredients we used.
Leslie is an exceedingly attentive, accommodating, and amiable cooking instructor who made rolling sushi an easy and very fun experience.
We would highly recommend cooking classes with Leslie (virtual or in-person) to anyone looking to expand on their culinary knowledge, push their boundaries in the kitchen, have an amazingly unique experience, or just enjoy a great meal!”
Thank you very much Leslie- we really did have a great time with you! We hope to do another cooking class with you in the future!”
-Max and Meri; Chicago, IL
“I really enjoyed both the content and seeing you do what you do so well. Your teaching style is accessible and warm. You communicate your delight in cooking as art, and you extend your confidence to each of us to be artful cooks as well. Wow! Thank you.”
-Mara, Wendell, MA
“Wow that chai has been a hit! I love how your class infused this week’s cooking with a new enthusiasm! I made a lentil curry, too. Best to you!”
-Dinah and Noah, CA
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love your class!!!
-Patti, Goshen, MA
“Leslie is A Powerful Food Healer. I love feeling the integrity of her spirit and the connections to where our food comes from!”
– Gabrielli, Amherst, MA
“Leslie brings a lifetime of wisdom, contemplative insight, and a spirit of improvisational fun to her teaching, which unfolds softly as an edible nasturtium blossom.
A week later, after the private lesson, I find myself incorporating so much of her approach: she teaches directly and by example. A teacher nourishing in all senses, while my family appreciates the new tastes and approaches.”
-EM, professor/traveler
“The private cooking lesson for me and my friends was truly a joy and delight!! We felt intoxicated!!! It was dream I never even imagined would happen in my life years ago and I feel so blessed to have received it. Leslie Cerier’s way of teaching created a sensual and nourishing experience, the way I want to live. Thank you for being so open and sense-full!”
-Yael, Amherst, MA
“Leslie you are the coolest!! We had a great time and so did all our friends. Everybody I spoke with said they’d be interested in doing something again in a couple months.”
– Anthony Schiappa, Longmeadow, MA; booked a private 3 hour hands on vegetarian cooking class for him and 6 of his friends.
“My husband and I are on a journey to discover just what it is to cook and eat as healthy as possible. We were both looking for something to get us out of the same repetitive go-to recipes that we cycled through week in and week out. That is where Leslie’s cooking/consultation came into play.
She and I worked to create a menu that was brand new to my husband and myself, as well as loaded with nutrition.
The experience was amazing! We cooked in her lovely kitchen and taste tested so many ingredients as we cooked, and she explained their benefits and as well as where we could find them. We are so glad we did it and have made the recipe on our own already!”
– Serena Hooper, Amherst, MA
“Leslie has inspired me to think of food and eating in new ways.
As a chemist, I appreciate the analytical aspect of her food philosophy. She gets that food is made up of natural products some of which are healthy and others not so. She gets that our health depends on balances of nutrients, and that our needs vary with the season and with our seasons.
Leslie, at the same time intuitive, artistic, and creative in the dishes she creates. She insists that food should be good tasting (It’s all about the YUM) and good looking (meals should include foods from all colors of the rainbow). Thank you Leslie for everything you do!”
-Dr Patricia O’ Hara, Dean and Chemistry professor, Amherst College
“I love Leslie’s way with food! It is not just that she creates delicious recipes, it is that she is, in her essence, delicious! When I am in need of some kitchen inspiration I often flip through her cookbooks or search her website for ideas.
In my work as an acupuncturist, nourishment counselor, and personal chef I constantly refer my clients to Leslie’s website and cookbooks for inspiration. My all time favorite Leslie recipe is Curried Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk. I have made this for literally hundreds of clients and it has always gotten rave reviews.”
-Ilana Margalit, Acupuncturist, Nourishment Counselor and Personal Chef
“Leslie Cerier is a healer, cook and Renaissance woman. She is part alchemist, part visionary and part teacher. To describe her energy is to look towards the sky and dream. Her lessons for the universe are to be in harmony with nature.
Leslie has discovered the bounty of the earth and she shares this passion through her determination for her craft. Leslie is the earth momma who you wish to be your teacher. She is a gifted photographer of the hidden elements in life and she captures environmentalism in her images. Leslie teaches and writes about the whole life and the ability to express herself.”
-Blikki.com
“Leslie experiences food as prevention, medicine, nourishment, but mostly pleasure. When you meet her you will find a woman aglow with vitality and energy. For healthy, affordable, time saving, earth-friendly, and good-for-the-soul food, I ‘ll have what she’s having!”
-Madeline Charney, Reference Service Librarian, University of Massachussetts-Amherst,MA
“What a wonderful evening we had with Leslie in the kitchen and at dinner. Everyone here thoroughly enjoyed the cooking demonstration and the food!
Lunch on Sunday before the gang got on the road was a repeat dinner, and the flavors were even better after blending. Erik said he had never had a professional cook for him ever! Steven said it was an inspired idea. So there you have it. Wonderful for all!”
-Margaret and Sandy, Shutesbury, MA
“Participating in a life-long love affair with food – from the days of cooking strudel in her grandmother Ethel’s kitchen to teaching classes today from the kitchen in her passive solar home in Shutesbury, Cerier sees the preparation of healthy food as an act of creativity.
For Cerier, being in the kitchen is a melding of the culinary arts with the grace and whim of interpretive dance.
Cerier’s ever-changing menu combines what’s in season with color and mood, whimsy and what’s in stock, she says. Experiencing whole foods during the entire year brings pleasure and fun into her life, she says, as wells as nourishing her and keeps her healthy.”
-Noah Hoffenberg, writer for Many Hands, Northampton, MA
“Leslie’s approach to cooking fits into my life.
Giving definitions of ingredients, easy-to-follow charts, clear directions, and substitutions/variations, Leslie has inspired me to eat healthier and to expand the repertoire of meals that I prepare.
Leslie’s recipes are quick and easy, and with a little advanced planning, they can be made when I get home from work.
I took a 5-day program with Leslie and found her to be very supportive, encouraging, and approachable – she answered every one of my many questions! Thank you again Leslie, for a wonderful workshop. I hope our paths will cross again some day.”
-Namaste, Diane, Philadelphia, PA
“I have always wanted to improvise as a cook, tailoring recipes to my tastes, my whims, and the ingredients I have on hand. What has been holding me back has been the nervousness of ruining a dish – making it too spicy, too bland, or creating a different texture.
Through her hands-on cooking class, Leslie helped me to conquer this fear. She taught me how to adapt and personalize recipes, and also how to correct flavors at the end of the cooking process when I don’t like how they have come out.
This has made all the difference in my cooking style, and I can confidently say that I now know how to “adjust to taste”.
-Amberly, Spice It Up! Creative Cooking with Herbs and Spices weekend workshop participant
“I came home and was inspired by you. I cleaned out my pantry and realized I had some products right in my pantry that I thought I would have to buy… Your class was great and I enjoyed it immensely. I also enjoyed your attitude towards food and your understanding and patience of those that are just starting to contemplate changes within themselves.”
-Rasheeda, Dietician, Bronxville, New York Participant in Cooking for Women’s Health
“Thank you, Leslie! The private cooking class was absolutely wonderful. I made the tempeh stir fry last night, and it was a huge hit with my husband! He even said it was his favorite tempeh dish he had ever tasted! You have also inspired me to buy more locally grown produce. It really does make a difference!”
-Sarah, New York City, NY
“Great Class! The instructions, guidelines and basic information were clear. The answers to specific questions were answered in detail. I believe I can apply this class to cooking at home.”
-Lisa Moore, Sunderland, MA
“Thanks for SUCH a great class… I already made the peanut butter choc. chip cookies w/ the teff flour … so yummy! You empowered me — which is exactly what I needed … I needed to deconstruct my intimidation with things like quinoa … so thank you! It’s been fun flipping through the book, I’m really glad I bought it. Grrrreat to meet you — thanks again — I’m sure I will see you again.
“Love & Peace.”
– Tricia, Northampton, MA
“Thank you so much for an absolutely wonderful class last night.
You are a great teacher and I learned some very valuable information (raw turmeric, Jerusalem artichokes, chai tea, etc.). It has only been in the last year or so that I have begun expanding my vegetarian repertoire. All of my and my husband’s grandparents came from Italy.
As a result, our vegetarian cooking so far has had an Italian twist (potato or spinach torte, sautéing wonderful, fresh collard greens with good olive oil & garlic and mixing with pasta, stuffed green peppers, etc.).
You’ve begun to expand my horizons!
Equally important, however, is your attitude about being in the kitchen. It should be fun, relaxed and sensual, an approach which I heartily endorse.
I definitely look forward to taking more courses with you.”
– Bob, Pelham, MA
“Thanks Leslie, that was lovely! Highlight of my weekend :)”
-Susan, Brooklyn, NY
“Thanks for doing the class!! It was a lot of fun! And delicious!”
-Irina, Amherst, MA
“Leslie, tonight was wonderful thank you.”
Tara, Florence, MA
Gift Certificates Available: Email leslie@lesliecerier.com
For Private Hands on Cooking Classes for Groups and Individuals
Specializing in Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, and Plant Based Cooking for Health and Pleasure
Photos by Tracey Eller
Gift Certificates Available: Email leslie@lesliecerier.com
Private Hands on Cooking Classes for Individuals, Groups, Special Occasions, and Corporate Events
Specializing in Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, and Plant Based Cooking for Health and Pleasure
Email leslie@lesliecerier.com
