Hildie Vega’s daughter Olivianna was diagnosed at 6 months with a Grade 2 atypical choroid plexus brain tumor. The family sought help through many channels. In January 2018, they were introduced to the MaxLove Project, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering families with cancer through nutrition and holistic wellness.
“We were told about the MaxLove Project by Olivianna’s neurosurgeon,” says Hildie Vega. He thought Olivianna and her family would be perfect for an emerging MaxLove program called Ohana.
The family soon met with MaxLove Project’s founder and chief hope officer Audra Di Padova Wilford and her son Justin, who battles brain cancer. Wilford is the driving force behind MaxLove Project. She founded the organization in 2011 when Max was diagnosed. He was 4 years old at the time. Wilford, who is passionate about food and trained in the culinary arts, used nutrition to treat her son. Through the course of his medical journey, Max’s body underwent brain surgeries, chemotherapy and various modes of radiation. As a way to nourish her son and help him heal, Wilford developed a ketogenic diet that boosts his immune system. She wanted to empower other families by sharing this knowledge: food is medicine.
On Saturday, Sept. 17, MaxLove Project will host its eighth annual Farm to Fork feast at Tanaka Farms in Irvine from 4:30 to 10 p.m. The event was inspired by Wilford’s visits with pediatric cancer patients to the farms. She saw firsthand how the greenspace nourished the families in more ways than one.
“The Tanaka family graciously invited MaxLove Project to host families on the farm for tours and events from the earliest days of our programming,” says Audra DiPadova Wilford. “One day Farmer Glenn Tanaka asked me what more he could do to help. I shared a vision I had while visiting the farm for one of our events for a dinner in the middle of the farm.” Tanaka liked the idea. Chefs Michael Puglisi of Electric City Butchers and Azmin Ghahreman of Sapphire Culinary Group cooked at the inaugural dinner in 2014.
Puglisi started working with The MaxLove Project when he learned about the healing properties of bone broth. Electric City Butcher Shop in Santa Ana breaks down whole animals at the shop and Puglisi was searching for a way to responsibly dispose of the leftover bones. Coincidentally, Wilford was looking for a richer, deeper bone broth for MaxLove’s pediatric cancer patients. For Puglisi, it was a win-win situation.
“I really wanted to work directly with a charity,” says Michael Puglisi. “A local charity where we can make a positive impact. I wanted to see where our efforts are going. When we started making the broth, we started getting amazing feedback. People were learning about what (bone) broth was versus stock. And, it means a lot to the Max Love Community.” The butcher shop started hosting pop-ups and bone broth classes to educate the families how to make their own broth at home.
“Having 4-year-olds coming into the shop and having them run up to you and hug you,” says Puglisi. “Then to have their parents say, ‘Thank you for the broth. Without their broth they can’t get out of bed sometimes.’ That connection to the MaxLove Community and the outreach they do and how everyone is welcome that really resonated with me.”
The nutrition and culinary education classes tremendously impact the families. The diet-focused approach shows patients how food helps their bodies thrive. MaxLove hosts monthly cooking classes called Fierce Foods Academy.
“These programs that MaxLove offers are so important and brilliant,” says Hildie Vega. “Who knew that food could literally be medicine? Families get to cook together in a beautiful outdoor setting.” They walk around the food lab picking fresh ingredients. The children learn about different fruits and vegetables. The parents enjoy watching their kids behave like regular kids. The families thrive in this environment. “Kids love being hands on and us parents love seeing our kids take interest in cooking these healthy delicious meals,” says Vega.
Over the years, more Orange County chefs joined the team. “We started building this chef community,” says Puglisi. The Ranch’s Michael and David Rossi will participate this year. Chef Shachi Mehra of ADYA and Spice Girls Sauces, who has participated since 2019, will return to collaborate on a dish with chef Cathy McKnight.
“You really feel like you’re a part of this magic — and it’s a kind of magic,” Mehra says. “To talk about healing through food and how you’re nourishing your body.”
For Mehra, the MaxLove cause is close to her heart.
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“Cancer is all over my life,” says Mehra. “I lost my dad to cancer and I’ve had many family members with cancer. So everyone at this point in their lives knows somebody that has cancer or knows somebody who lost somebody to cancer. That’s how prevalent it is. To be a part of something that changes the lives of kids with cancer or their family’s lives to be a part of it just feels really good.”
The MaxLove Farm to Fork event introduces the children to the chefs. They learn about new dishes and ways to prepare nutritious food. Plus, they meet local Food Network celebrities.
“One of the kids knew me from ‘Chopped,’” says Mehra with a chuckle, referring to the Food Network competition show that she won in 2019. “It was so sweet.” The young fan was also a cancer patient. “His mom came up to me and said that he really wants to meet you but he’s too shy.” Mehra introduced herself to the boy and posed for a picture with him.
For the families, the evening is a welcome respite from hospitals and doctors’ offices. Award-winning chefs prepare healthy tasting size dishes such as a superfood chaat, lamb kofta with quinoa, homestyle chicken pot pie and chicken pastrami ballentine on rye crackers. The event is perched on a hill at Tanaka Farms in Irvine. It’s a night to celebrate but it’s also a time to enjoy just being a family.
“Honestly, between my husband’s crazy work schedule, Olivianna’s never ending medical schedule and Mikaela’s school schedule, anything that we could do together as a family is just a treasure for us,” says Vega.
Information: maxloveproject.org/events/8th-annual-farm-to-fork-dinner