🍛 Bombay “Tuna”-No – a fun, curried, plant-powered twist on Barbara’s family favorite, complete with Caryn’s homemade, no‑oil tofu mayo.
🍓 Red, White & Blue Chocolate Mousse–Filled Strawberries – silken tofu mousse piped into juicy berries, the perfect ring-in for Independence Day.
06/22/2025
Keep slathering on that SPF, but did you know there are foods that can help support your skin health too?
ST. LOUIS – Sunscreen is essential, but what you eat may be just as important when it comes to protecting and nourishing your skin. Caryn Dugan, owner of STL...
06/14/2025
We kicked off a 5 week Food for Life–The Power of Food For Cancer Prevention And Survival program at this week. I trained under of in 2011 and have been doing these programs ever since.
The weekly information is approachable and powerful. The science behind the nutrition component is very easily communicated and I demonstrate how to translate this to your plate with simple and delicious recipes.
It’s a free program through CSC, so if you know of anyone who is fighting this battle, please get in touch as there are MANY programs available for people in all stages of this incredibly scary disease.
06/12/2025
Ooh! this is gonna be good!!!!
This one's got crunch, color, family stories, and chocolate. Join us for a flavor-packed, plant-powered class that hits every note—from savory spice to creamy indulgence. 🌿 We’ll kick things off with a Sweet & Smoky Cauliflower Chickpea Crunch Salad , where caramelized cauliflower and c
05/25/2025
This isn’t just a vacation; it’s a transformational experience. Whether you're looking to improve your health, dive deeper into the plant-based lifestyle, or simply surround yourself with people who get it, this is the trip for you.
🛥️ SAIL WITH THE DOC & CHEF IN 2026!Set Sail for Health: The Ultimate Wellness Getaway You Can’t Miss!Picture this: a luxurious, state-of-the-art cruise shi...
05/09/2025
Our gal is headed to Moldova next week to present in incredible company.
05/08/2025
Food lovers, get ready. You’ll enjoy gourmet plant-based meals (WFPB and SOS-free!) all week long, crafted by top chefs who know how to make healthy eating outrageously delicious. With both cooked and raw menus, every meal is unique—no repeats! Got dietary restrictions? No problem. Just let them know, and they’ll accommodate.
🛥️ SAIL WITH THE DOC & CHEF IN 2026!Set Sail for Health: The Ultimate Wellness Getaway You Can’t Miss!Picture this: a luxurious, state-of-the-art cruise shi...
05/05/2025
Join us in the kitchen as we whip up a seasonal, satisfying, and 100% gluten-free menu that’s as nourishing as it is flavorful. This month, we’re focusing on hearty simplicity — with no kneading, no gluten, and no oil — just whole food, plant-based goodness that’s easy to prep and perfect for warm-weather meals.
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The nationan’s first plant-based nutrition and culinary education center
Rooted deep in the St. Louis food and wellness scene, I am a plant-based nutrition, culinary and lifestyle educator with a simple mission, “A Plant on Every Plate.”
My name is Caryn and I adopted a plant-based diet in response to tragedy; in 2008, cancer took my dad at an early age and 10 weeks later, I too, was diagnosed. In response to my diagnosis, I searched for an answer and found one in the growing body of literature supporting a whole food, plant-based diet to bolster our natural immune system. I adopted this way of eating and soon, sought to share this knowledge to help others.
In 2011, I studied in Washington, DC, under the direction of Neal Barnard, MD at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s (PCRM) Food For Life program and became a certified instructor. I brought this knowledge home, and began teaching immune-boosting, plant-based cooking classes at the Cancer Support Center of St. Louis for the benefit of others who have, like me, met cancer at the door. It was during my first visit to CSC as an instructor where the idea of building a fully plant-based support and education center formulated. The seed was planted.
I then went on to form STLVegGirl, LLC, St. Louis’ first fully plant-based entity providing cooking instruction, personal chef services, meal delivery, and collaborative restaurant events. I remain continually grateful to our local media outlets and regularly appear in cooking and nutrition segments on St. Louis affiliates of NBC, CBS and Fox morning shows.
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To remain a good steward of my craft, I continue expand my knowledge of plant-based nutrition and am a graduate of:
Plant-based Nutrition Certificate through eCornell University • The Rouxbe Cooking School Plant-Based Professional Program
Wellness Forum’s Plant-Based Certified Personal Chef Program
Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) as a Lifestyle Medicine Institute Certified Program Facilitator
Wellcoaches as a Certified Health and Wellness Coach
In 2015, I collaborated with Forks Over Knives and created the first-ever (and only) Forks Over Knives Community Program where over the course of seven weeks attendees learn the science behind a plant-based diet, how to integrate it into their lives and gain lifetime support and friendships from others in our group. It’s so much fun!
Outside of St. Louis, I speak annually and offer culinary instruction in Naples, Florida to 100 attendees at physician-led, Total Health Immersions Health Retreat. Within seven days, participants mark weight and inches lost, a decrease in insulin and blood pressure medication administration and chronic illness reversal. To say this is inspiring is an understatement; watching people go from taking a handful of pills for years, to titrating down those meds considerably within 7 days is truly amazing; the body begins to heal so quickly.
In 2018, I initiated and delivered St. Louis’ first Plant-based Nutrition Summit at Washington University! This summit featured world-renowned experts Michael Greger, MD and Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD. We sold the event out and represented in attendance were 16 states and 2 countries. What a day it was! As awesome as it was, there was one problem – where were people suppose to go for more education; essentially- now what?!
Over the years I have watched the plant-based movement grow in strength and size. As plant-based supporting medical studies are published, schools and hospitals grow gardens, and the endless testimonials from people who continue to reverse common (and not-so common) chronic illnesses increases daily, I knew it was time. Time to offer a place where we focus solely on the irrefutable health benefits of a plant-based diet. How to start, how to maintain, and how to teach others.
Most of the time new idea endeavors begin on the coasts and eventually work their way in to the middle; not this time. In the center of the country, in the center of this great movement, I offer the Center for Plant-based Living.
