Renée Elliott, The Organic Grocer
Sugar is the obvious [food that should be banned]. And junk food. By junk food I mean food that gives you nothing. My motto is, kill Coke!
Renée Elliott ‘86 earned a degree in English, but a book she read for a nutrition class made all the difference in her life. “Diet for a Small Planet,” a 1971 bestseller that detailed the environmental impact of the meat industry and advocated for healthy eating, changed her life.
“That was pivotal for me. I read it and could no longer eat meat. I became a vegetarian at age 19,” she says. “That book made me question convention.”
Elliott went on to found Planet Organic, a successful healthfood grocer based in London, where she moved after graduating from UML. Established in 1995, the company has since grown to a seven-store chain. She’s a sought-after speaker on nutrition and wellness and teaches healthy baking at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She’s written three cookbooks, most recently “What to Eat and How to Eat It,” a guide to incorporating healthy ingredients like quinoa or maca into everyday meals.
“It covers all the ingredients people know they should be eating but don’t know how,” she says. “It’s a guide through the maze of voices.”
A mother of three, Elliott spends time mentoring women entrepreneurs, especially those who are trying to start food- or wellness-related ventures. Last year, she and a partner launched Beluga Bean, which offers life and business coaching to women. Next, she’s exploring a project that’s part cookbook, part family history, based on the recipes and stories of her mother, a New Orleans native and outstanding home cook who died in 2015.
“I have done the preliminary work—what a joy. But I think I will have to live in New Orleans for six months to finish it,” she says.—JG