A recipe for collaboration…
Pennsylvania, 1990- Anthony was the new kid on the block when he saw Chis outside playing basket ball. He decided to walk up and introduce himself… a fortuitous moment that was the start of a lifelong friendship spanning years and distances with good humor and great food.
After high school they both happened to live in New York City at the same, Chris studying culinary arts and Anthony studying philosophy, Ayurveda, and yoga. Fast forward 15 years, Chris and Anthony’s interest in plant-based eating coincided. It was natural start to a project that allows them to merge their skills and interests by creating “Look Within Education”- A site and cookbooks dedicated to healthy living.
Chef Chris Lenza has been working professionally in the culinary arts for more than 25 years.
Chris discovered his love of cuisine growing up in a family that valued food in its many forms; one of his grandfathers was a chef, and the other an urban farmer. Thanks in part to their collective wisdom, Chris learned from an early age the importance of knowing both how food is grown and how to create delicious dishes from what is harvested.
These early influences fueled his passion to help others eat healthier and deliciously. Soon after graduating from high school, Chris moved from his small town to New York City, where he studied at the International Culinary Center. From there, his thirst for culinary education and passion for food led him to study advanced culinary and pastry arts in Italy. He has harvested seasonal fruits, vegetables, and grapes on organic farms and wineries in California and Arizona.
After his formal education, Chris worked as a chef in a variety of fine-dining, high-profile restaurants in New York City, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Phoenix.
Currently, Chris custom designs meals for the health and well-being of clients. He helps develop personalized meal plans for clients looking to improve their health with nutritious whole foods. He also teaches cooking classes to adults and kids. He lives in Arizona with his wife and two kids. In addition to spending time with family and friends, Chris enjoys tending to his home garden and supporting local farms and businesses.
Anthony Biduck is a clinical psychologist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and teaches at Marywood University.
He is also the author of a chapter on hatha yoga in Croaking Frogs: A Guide to Sanskrit Metrics and Figures of Speech. His interest in diet and nutrition developed more than 20 years ago while he was working and studying at the Himalayan Institute in New York City. There he was introduced to Ayurveda, an ancient holistic healing system of medicine indigenous to India.
Anthony began using the philosophical and scientific principles of this healing system to understand the world, human nature, and the disease process, as well as how to cultivate a balanced diet and how to cook. As his diet evolved, the plant-based diet was most fitting because of its flexibility compared to other diets; it allowed space to satisfy his craving to eat an occasional piece of meat while maintaining a primarily vegetarian diet.
Anthony lives in Pennsylvania with his daughter and wife, Anny Ha. In addition to spending time with his family, he enjoys practicing yoga and collaborating with others on book projects.