Television viewers tuning in to the Catholic Faith Network on March 23 watched Valley Stream resident and chef Tom Avallone prepare heart-healthy foods for home cooks and health gurus alike. Broadcasting from CFN Studio B in Uniondale, Avallone stood behind a colorful spread of his creations, Mediterranean-inspired dishes meant to delight the palate while accommodating the health needs of those with heart issues — or anyone interested in tasty, heart-healthy food.
By his side were Shannon Hakimian and Kristen Deluca, nutritionists and dietitians from the oncology department at The Cancer Institute at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. The virtual cooking class was hosted by the oncology dietitians at The Cancer Institute at St. Francis Hospital through a grant given by the Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer.
In what was his second appearance on the show, Avallone prepared Mediterranean dishes for Nutrition Month in March. Bringing in rich flavors that can be found at Nick’s Bistro in Forest Hills, where he is the operations manager,
Avallone offered practical cooking tips and tricks and prepared a handful of dishes so those in the audience could choose their favorite one to try at home. He created an all-vegetable and lentil salad, and then added more protein-rich ingredients to the mix, complementing the salad with salmon and grilled chicken.
Using red peppers and crisply cut cucumbers, he also prepared a Greek-inspired salad mixed with feta cheese — the same feta he gets from a private proprietor for his stores. Avallone had to explain this to a listener at home who asked where the feta comes from.
Avallone, 59, grew up in Valley Stream, and recently bought his childhood home in the village. His Italian parents influenced his cooking career. Eating their Sicilian and Nepalese meals, he learned the art of cooking.
Food is about “adaptation and creation” for Avallone, who says he loves to mix flavors while still keeping it simple. At his restaurants, he strives to give customers their choice of flavors, customizing the experience to anyone’s palate with an eye as well for nutrition and health.
“We give you the flavor profile that you want that’s going to be healthy for you…” Avallone said to the audience listening at home. “There are a lot of things we do to enhance flavors.”
It was at his restaurant Trento, in Farmingdale, that he was asked to cook for Vlaun’s show. A friend had recommended the restaurant to Vlaun, and he went incognito to sample the food. Avallone, well versed in restaurant hospitality, visited every table that night, including the one at which the disguised monsignor dined. Impressed by the quality, taste and atmosphere, Vlaun asked Avallone to appear on “Real Food.”
Vlaun was interested in creating a Mediterranean diet that could help those who had survived cancer. According to St. Francis’s Cancer Institute, the ingredients of Mediterranean dishes are especially healthy because many are plant-based.
With this diet, options “are plentiful in fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts, grains, and unsaturated fats such as avocado and olive oil and incorporates lean protein sources such as fish,” the hospital’s oncology dietitians said in a statement.
“As oncology dietitians, we hope to continue to provide innovative and educational nutrition programs to help our patients develop and maintain good and evidence-based nutrition habits during a challenging time in their lives,” they added.
With the help of grant funding provided by the Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer, the oncology dietitians host virtual cooking classes for cancer survivors and their caregivers. To sign-up for a virtual cooking class with them, call (516) 325-7506. You can learn more about the oncology nutrition program and other services for cancer survivors offered at Catholic Health by visiting CHS.org/cancer.
