As many of you know, Mary Howley Ryan from Beyond Broccoli has relocated to Seattle with her husband, Dave. We already miss her and her wealth of knowledge on health and nutrition. She will continue to contribute to our newsletter and website, as will as being able to assist you through phone and email. Luckily, we’ve found two women to fill her shoes, Maureen Molinari and Cara Liberatore.

Maureen Molinari
Maureen originally hails from New Jersey where she completed a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from Rutgers University. Upon completion of her degree, she completed a year long Dietetic Internship at Fresno State, CA, and became Registered Dietician (R.D.). In 1999, she moved to Jackson to work for St. John’s Medical Center. During her time at St. John’s, she specialized in diabetes education and in 2007 successfully passed the exam to become a Certified Diabetes Educator. (C.D.E.). Branching out to help people on a more personal level, she started Maureen Molinari Nutrition Consultant, Inc in January 2009. Her philosophy is to meet people where they are, and help them to create an individualized nutritional plan that works in their lives. She encourages people to enjoy the gift of food. She lives in an affordable house in Melody Ranch (that she helped build!) with her dog, Bear and cat, Gizmo. She enjoys hiking, climbing, skiing, biking and all that Jackson has to offer. Come see Maureen on Mondays and Wednesdays in the store from 3 to 5pm and at cooking demos every other Monday from 12 to 2pm.

Cara Liberatore
Cara was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and grew up in an Italian household which inherently appreciated the preparation, presentation and consumption of food. She received a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a specialty in sustainable development/ agriculture at Boston University. Beginning in her college years, she worked intermittently as a personal chef and has been an avid outdoor enthusiast and athlete. Post college graduation, Cara ventured out west and began working seasonally in Jackson as a guide and environmental educator. She has worked for Exum Mountain Guides as a professional mountain guide for the past 8 years. In August 2003, Cara was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32. Her diagnosis introduced her to “The Cancer Project”, a nonprofit organization focused on nutrition education and cancer survivorship. In 2004, she began teaching “Food for Life” cooking and nutrition classes via “The Cancer Project.” She has continued her informal education in nutrition by taken classes, attending conferences and seminars, reading volumes, and engaging in countless conversations with the community at large. She believes, collectively, her lifestyle, interests, and experiences helped seed her passion in nutrition at a young age and continues to feed her passion in nutrition to present day. Come see Cara on Thursdays in the store from 3 to 5pm and at cooking demos every other Monday from 12 to 2pm.