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Julie Negrin, M.S., C.N. has been a nutritionist, culinary educator, writer, and program developer for over 25 years. 

She went to University of Washington for her Political Science degree while working in a law firm, graduating in 1993. Julie then worked at various companies and non-profits while taking prerequisite classes for graduate school in the sciences. She began teaching nutrition education and cooking to children and adults in 1997 for the Dept of Health and elsewhere while finishing her master's of science degree in nutrition. When she graduated from Bastyr University in 1999, she worked full-time in the technology industry while teaching cooking and nutrition classes in the evenings and on the weekends. 

Her dream was to work in culinary education full time where she could impart important nutrition information in a fun and hands-on learning environment. So, she moved to New York City in 2001, where she initially worked with a small group of volunteers to turn a grassroots organization into a 501c3 non-profit that offered free meals to emergency personnel, raised two million dollars in donated food and funds, and facilitated volunteer opportunities for hundreds of people in the area. 

Julie was the Director of Culinary Arts at the JCC in Manhattan from 2003-2008 where she developed culinary courses for adults and children, taught several kids cooking classes per week, and was one of the first programmers to offer summer teen cooking camps which sold out every year. She also developed a large volunteer corps of teaching assistants and trained many of them how to teach cooking to kids and adults. These extraordinary people who volunteered their time eventually went on to educate hundreds of students, if not more, in their own communities. 

She then consulted and taught all over New York City and elsewhere - developing original curricula, health programs for various non-profits and schools, corporate wellness events, and train-the-trainer sessions. Julie was an active member and volunteer in IACP, NYWCA, Community Food Security Coalition, Farm to School and other culinary organizations. She led health and nutrition train-the-trainer sessions for recent college graduates from 2008-2011 who used her content to teach thousands of high school students all over the country in underserved areas. She also taught and developed an intensive teen cooking camp program in NYC at the 92nd St Y. From 2011-2012, she worked at a non-profit that coordinated food and health classes and job training programs for unhoused adults and children through the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). 

Julie also published a kids cookbook, Easy Meals to Cook with Kids in 2010, edited several other books and wrote articles for various sites and publications. She began teaching online training courses in 2011 before there were established educational platforms including "How to Teach Cooking to Kids," and "How to Teach Nutrition" and a few others that  helped people launch careers in the wellness field.

Her work has been featured in newspapers, magazines, radio programs, the Today Show, CBS, NY1 and she was on Sesame Street in 2008 teaching children how to cook. To date, she has given dozens of conference presentations since 1997 and taught hundreds of cooking classes at notable locations including Stone Barns Center, Williams Sonoma, Whole Foods, Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), 92nd St Y, Natural Gourmet, The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Conference, Farm to School Conference, Columbia University, UCSD and many others. 

She has been developing gluten-free and dairy-free plant-based recipes since 1991 when she found that it improved her IBD symptoms which she was diagnosed with at age 17 years old and led to her nutrition and culinary career. After healing from melanoma surgery in her leg, she moved to California in 2013 where she taught cooking classes and freelanced for various organizations while also undergoing another surgery and chemotherapy in 2014 for ovarian and colon cancer.

Julie's realistic approach and extensive knowledge of wellness topics makes complicated health topics fun and practical for youth, parents, educators and healthcare professionals to pass on to others. An award winning healthcare advocate, her curricula and content has led to many programs, websites, and curricula that teaches others how to prepare nutritious meals, develop important life skills for healthy living at young ages, and create job training programs for underserved populations. Unfortunately, after coping with Ulcerative Colitis since 1989 and cancer in 2010 and 2013, Julie's health status slowed down her teaching career and led to working from home where she develops health-based recipes, creates kitchen and art projects for all ages, and consults when she can.

You can read more about her work history on her LinkedIn profile here. and view Julie's speaking reel here with footage of her teaching over the years.