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As temperatures are becoming summer like in Philly - what are some of your meals?

Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

Recorded

This event was on May 6, 2025

Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to ask anything – from cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Nolan is ready to answer them all.

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Question

Fran Costigan

As temperatures are becoming summer like in Philly - what are some of your meals?

Answer

Now I will say Philadelphia itself as a city was actually built on a swamp. So it gets very, very humid in Philadelphia, more humid than some of the temperatures I've experienced when I've lived as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil, or as a missionary in Honduras or wherever I go. Philly is really, really hot. So I turn to salads because salads are simple and easy. And the Rouxbe Tuna less Salad is the best recipe because you can make a triple batch of that and you can use it in a salad, you can use it in a sandwich, you can make a pasta salad and instead of having a tuna noodle pasta salad, you can have a tunas pasta salad. So anything that prevents me from having to turn on the stove or the oven, I do rely on using an air fryer if I want to cook a sweet potato or a baked potato because it doesn't give out too much heat.

Links

https://rouxbe.com/recipes/4832-tuna-less-tuna-salad

Char Nolan

Chef Instructor

Char Nolan is a serious crusader for plant-based education, armed with a degree in public health from Philadelphia’s Temple University. She teaches nutrition and plant-based cooking throughout Philadelphia, and in many underserved communities. Char holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from eCornell and completed Rouxbe’s Plant-Based Professional Certification course in 2015. In 2019, Char completed post-graduate course work in social media marketing at the University of the Arts. When she is not cooking or teaching, she manages social media accounts for several plant-based influencers. Char prides herself on learning everything she knows about cooking from growing up in her grandparents’ Italian restaurant. Her favorite vegetables are Brussels sprouts and kale, of course. Char originally hails from Queens, NY, but has lived in Philadelphia most of her adult life. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer.