Team

Who runs Rainbow Chefs Academy?

Rainbow Chefs Academy
Rainbow Chefs Academy

Svetlana Elgart

The DNA of Rainbow Chefs

It all started in her own kitchen.

Born in Ukraine and raised on home-cooked meals, Lana brought this sensibility with her to America while raising her own children.

Seeing a major problem in the health and nutrition of our nation’s youth, she wanted to do something about it.

In 2011, she started “Les Petit Chefs”. Using the principle of “eat the rainbow”, Lana soon after changed the name…
Rainbow Chefs was born.

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Lana took her recipes and approach to health & wellness and created curriculums aimed at the elementary level.

In 2012, San Mateo District contacted Lana. Enrichment programs were created, along with Instructor Training.

In this same year, she began working with the Highlands Recreation Center, and at the request of parents, came summer camps and chefs parties.

Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) became involved as Rainbow Chefs expanded.

By 2019, Rainbow Chefs had reached over 30,000 children and 1800 schools.

Curriculums extended into Middle School and High School, along with new offerings such as Chef Boxes, created for teachers.

Dr. Ed Bauman, founder of Bauman Wellness joined the team in 2020, bringing his rich experience in holistic health and nutrition.

With a vision of changing K-12 Education through CORE, STEAM, CASEL & NGSS alignment, Rainbow Chefs had now grown to…

Rainbow Chefs Academy

One woman with a kitchen, a mission, and a vision for our future.

Lawrence August
Rainbow Chefs Academy

Lawrence August

Advisory Board Member & Director of Business Development

Lawrence has worked in the Health and Nutrition industry for over two decades.

He is a Certified Youth Nutrition Specialist through AFPA (American Fitness Professionals & Associates), bringing his unique approach to children’s health to help further the efforts of Rainbow Chefs Academy.

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Amassing more than 8,500 consultations, Lawrence had the distinction of being the sole Nutrition Counselor at The Center for Integrative Medicine in Tarzana, California, where he also Co-Managed the practice’s Natural Pharmacy.

The Center is run by Dr. Michael Hirt, MD and is currently the busiest private solo medical practice in Los Angeles County.

Along with private nutrition consultations through his company Kids Get Healthy, Lawrence sits on the Board of Directors for Accept The Challenge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating childhood obesity and preventing the major dietary and lifestyle related diseases currently plaguing our country.

We are thrilled to have Lawrence as a member of our team!

Tom Davis
Rainbow Chefs Academy

Tom Davis

Advisory Board Member / BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT / REVENUE / SALES

Thomas Aurelio Davis is a former middle and high school bilingual science teacher, coach, administrator, grant writer, businessman and life-long learner. He is also the Founder of Net4EdAccess, an education consulting firm based in San Diego.

Tom’s passions center around mentoring and coaching, equal opportunity for all underrepresented communities, STEAM, English Learners; technology for teaching and learning; students with special needs and students at-risk of not completing their education.

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Tom currently serves as Director of Business Development at the nonprofit, Center for Educational Innovation in New York, and has served in the same capacity for both the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) and the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS).

He is a member of the Classroom of the Future Foundation at the San Diego County Office of Education.

Tom also serves as a board member of Computers 2 Kids San Diego (C2KSD), a San Diego charitable nonprofit, working to bridge the digital divide with low-income families by providing computers to the home and access to the internet.

He is an advisory board member for Project Tomorrow, a national nonprofit with a vision to ensure that today’s students are well prepared to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world.

Tom is an avid basketball player and represented Mexico on the Over 64 National Basketball Team which finished sixth in the FIMBA World Basketball Championships in Helsinki in 2019.

DR. ED BAUMAN  - ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Rainbow Chefs Academy

DR. ED BAUMAN

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Bauman has been at the forefront of the holistic health and nutrition renaissance for the past 50 years.  He holds a MEd from the University. of Massachusetts, a MS in Nutrition from Heartwood College, and a PhD in Community Health Promotion from the University of New Mexico.

After studying traditional health and nutrition systems for more than 30 years, Dr. Bauman created the Eating for Health approach, which forms the basis of his professional and community nutrition programs and consulting practice.  He is the founder of Bauman College: Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts. Dr Bauman is the founder of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.

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Dr Bauman has served as the president for the Sonoma West Medical Foundation, wherein he brought an Integrative Health Institute to his nearby rural hospital which offered in patient education, a whole foods hospital café, research and outpatient referrals to integrative health and wellness providers.

Dr. Bauman’s current passion is Bauman Wellness.com, a non-profit institute that nourishes cultures of wellness through healing foods, arts, and community learning.  Bauman Wellness is a diverse and inclusive community of professional, family and individual members.  

Dr Bauman is the co-author of many renowned books, including the Holistic Health Handbook, Holistic Health Lifebook, Foundations of Nutrition Textbook, Therapeutic Nutrition Textbook, Flavors of Health Cookbook, Whole Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors, Spice for Life: Self-Healing Recipes, Remedies and Research, Affordable Nutrition, Kidz Culinary Academy Cookbook, Nutrition Essentials for Everyone and Ways to Be Well: Integrative Wellness Handbook.

Dr Bauman is a tireless champion for wellness, which he sees as an innate human right, that has been damaged by our degraded food system, and culture of greed  dis-ease and distraction. Dr Bauman motivates, inspires, and leads by example on how we can reclaim our individual, and social wellbeing with five integrative wellness practices: eating, moving, reflecting, relating and serving together.

ROBERT H. LUSTIG  MD, MSL
Rainbow Chefs Academy

ROBERT H. LUSTIG MD, MSL

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L. is Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, and Member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF.

Dr. Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist, with expertise in metabolism, obesity, and nutrition.

He is one of the leaders of the current “anti-sugar” movement that is changing the food industry. He has dedicated his retirement from clinical medicine to help to fix the food supply any way he can, to reduce human suffering and to salvage the environment.

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Dr. Lustig graduated from MIT in 1976, and received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College in 1980. He also received his Masters of Studies in Law (MSL) degree at University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2013. 

He is the author of the popular books Fat Chance (2012), The Hacking of the American Mind (2017), and Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine (2021). 

He is the Chief Science Officer of the non-profit Eat REAL, he is on the Advisory Boards of the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, the Center for Humane Technology, Simplex Health, Levels Health, and ReadOut Health, and he is the Chief Medical Officer of BioLumen Technologies, Foogal, Perfact, and Kalin Health.

Gabby Grinberg
Rainbow Chefs Academy

Gabby Grinberg

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Gabby is a strategic executive and general counsel with experience developing and scaling business operations.

She has spent almost a decade advising companies on business strategy and legal matters with a strong focus on finance structuring, international growth, investor relations, employee retention and partnership opportunities.

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To date she has helped her clients raise over a billion dollars from investors, structured complex credit solutions and established dynamic partnerships enabling achievement of growth targets.
Dr. David Reed
Rainbow Chefs Academy

Dr. David Reed

Sr. Education Specialist

Dr. David Reed earned a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education from Southern Illinois University, a Master of Education from Arizona State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, also from ASU.

Dr. Reed holds a teaching certificate in Arizona with an area of concentration in Career Technical Education with endorsements in Business and Marketing, Cooperative Education, and Structured English Immersion.

He also holds a Principal Certificate in Arizona. For the past 25 years, Dr. Reed has specialized in the development of nontraditional education models for the traditional district, public charter, and private secondary schools.

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He has also been instrumental in the development of blended and virtual education models for traditional district, charter, and private secondary schools.

Since 2007, Dr. Reed has presented on nontraditional education programs and the benefits and implementation of blended and online learning programs at numerous state and national level conferences.

From 2014 to 2021, Dr. Reed served as an Educational Administrator for Educational Management Organization operating a Drop-out Recovery Program and a private international virtual high school in Arizona.

He is currently serving as a Senior K-12 Educational Consultant on accountability, accreditation, school improvement, and blended and virtual public and private secondary programs. Dr. Reed has also been a member of or has chaired accreditation review teams for Cognia, Middle States Regional, and Accreditation International.

RaEssa Coleman
Rainbow Chefs Academy

RaEssa Coleman

Lead Curriculum Developer & Customer Success Specialist

RaEssa Coleman is an education consultant that cultivates the interrelationship between students, parents, educators, and communities to promote student success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

She specializes in creating authentic learning experiences that encourage and prepare students to explore STEM careers. She is passionate about removing the barriers of participation in STEM, especially for underrepresented groups.

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A Chicago native and alumna of Georgia State University, RaEssa has over 10 years of experience in increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, engaging with the national STEM community, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship education, and shaping K-12 curriculum and instruction.

RaEssa has volunteered with local Atlanta organizations such as the Atlanta Area Council, Morehouse, Georgia Tech C.E.I.S.M.C, Emory University, Centennial Aviation Academy, and Museum of Design. She was a guest speaker at the Delta Research and Educational Foundation: Teachers Advocating to Lead Great Change Summit and honored for making change in the community.

VIANA ELGART - OPERATIONS
Rainbow Chefs Academy

VIANA ELGART

OPERATIONS

Viana Elgart joined Rainbow Chefs in early 2020 as a Chef Instructor while pursuing her educational goals.

Rainbow Chefs provided an opportunity for Viana to combine her best skills, such as working with children, applying her leadership skills, and her passion for enriching the lives of others.

Viana adopted the company’s goal of promoting nutrition and education, which aligns with her personal values and excites her to share her knowledge with others.

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Through previous experience in Tutoring, Early Childhood Development, and her current role as a Head Instructor, Viana learned the importance of patience and compassion when working with others.

Viana’s ultimate goal is to continue her education at the highest level possible while creating a fun, safe, and exciting learning environment for both children and adults to discover the benefits of eating a diverse range of colorful and healthy foods, also known as “eating the rainbow.”

KRISTA LONG - EVENTS COORDINATOR & PLANNER
Rainbow Chefs Academy

KRISTA LONG

EVENTS COORDINATOR & PLANNER

Krista is a lover of events. As a Certified Event Planner since 2013, completing multiple required renewal programs and becoming a proud Alumni from Correlations LLC Professional Event Training, she has the professional development to plan any event from start to finish. 

With an extensive background in her professional career – Event Planning, Operations and Management – she has tons of experience.

Her background consists of corporate executive planning, real estate, account management and public relations. 

She can effectively streamline logistics, and has over 10 years of experience managing events, decorating, budgeting, catering, entertainment, and room design. 

Companies, associations, and individuals hire her to create unique experiences for their celebrations and she loves to deliver top quality service to each and every one of her clients.