DR. BARUCH BEN-YEHUDAH CEO and Founder of Everlasting Life, Evolve Vegan Restaurant, E-Life on Wheels and Vegaritos. Dr. Baruch is a widely sought after television and radio personality, community wellness supporter, and renowned educator with well over 30 years of experience as a health advocate. His aim is to empower by introducing concepts that help to initiate personal change from the inside out. Dr. Baruch has on the nationally syndicated Michael Baisden Show, DC News Now, Washingtonian, Washington Post, NPR News, Afro The Black Media Authority, and Radio One’ The Carl Nelson Show. Through entertaining, educational workshops and engaging, interactive lectures and seminars, Dr. Baruch teaches that in order to live well, one must address the multiple factors that take away from our health, such as poor diet, stress, lack of exercise and negative lifestyle choices. Baruch Ben-Yehudah is a seasoned CEO and Founder of Everlasting Life Restaurants, a renowned restaurant chain. He is the author of Everlasting Life Restaurant & Lounge’s Food For Life Cookbook. He possesses a wide range of skills including nutritional counseling, public speaking, motivational speaking, health and wellness literacy, sustainability, and business development. With a background in radio and television, alternative energy, and non-profit leadership, Baruch is also an advocate for animal rights, green living, vegan, vegetarian nutrition, and restaurant management. Based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, he is known for his expertise in the restaurant industry and his ability to drive success in the industry. He addresses the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, occupational, social, and environmental aspects of life. The Everlasting Life Restaurant is not just another vegan restaurant, it is a place of peace, hope, and inspiration in the midst of a community plagued with an astounding number sick and obese residents who have been drowning in a sea of poor dietary habits for decades. Located in a strip mall just minutes away from the nation’s capital, the establishment is surrounded by fast food restaurants with no source of fresh, healthy food for miles. Dr. Baruch declares, “I see a community that was left without, and underserved,” “It is gross what is being done to our people. But rather than curse the darkness, I made it a mission of Everlasting Life to shine that light.” Dr. Baruch Ben-Yehudah (known as Dr. Baruch), who has been vegan since 1978, founded Everlasting Life with the idea that one should not have to leave one’s own neighborhood to find something healthy to eat. He looked around and realized there were only unhealthy restaurants serving his largely African American community. His observation is based on an awareness that stemmed from an experience he had over 24 years ago. While setting up speakers at a food conference, he heard one of the speakers practicing her speech in which she said, ‘If you can control a man’s food, you can control a man.’ A statement that triggered both his heart and his business mind and led him to asking the very important question: ‘Who is controlling my food?’ That was the impetus for his first business, a food co-op in the garage of his Temple Hills home in the early 90s. He later opened a restaurant on Georgia Avenue in Washington, DC, Everlasting Life Café and in 2001 he opened Everlasting Life Restaurant and Lounge in Capitol Heights, MD. Everlasting Life is now scheduled to open a new location December 2018 in Anacostia. Anacostia particularly special in offering Dr. Baruch a homecoming, given his Southeast DC roots. “Our food is our medicine,” Ben-Yehudah says. “We call Everlasting Life a ‘hospi-rant,’ a hospital restaurant. Everlasting Life, now Elife Restaurant, is a cafeteria-style restaurant offering fresh salads, whole plant-based entrees and side dishes, vegan desserts, juices and smoothies. Anyone can visit one of his locations in the DC Metro area: Capitol Heights, Takoma Park and Anacostia.