Shining World Compassion Award Recipient: Nicole Derseweh (vegan) – Spreading Love and Light Through the Community With Vegan Delights!

Nicole Derseweh is a private chef to some of Hollywood’s famous stars, who seek out healthy living. You could say she’s a well-known celebrity in her own right! While studying at business school, Nicole took a break and enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu Chef School in France. Using her newly acquired culinary skills, Nicole infused her Cordon Bleu touch with her business acumen and created an exceptional vegan meal service. She also initiated a vegan cooking show on YouTube, and co-authored a book called, “The Vegan Ketogenic Diet Book.”

“My grandmother, she has passed. And unfortunately, she died of cancer. And she influenced me in such a profound way. Because, she's really the reason why I became vegan. I was doing research trying to figure out how to help cure her cancer, and that's how I learned about the vegan diet. I learned how it can help reverse some of these diseases, how it's obviously so much better for the animals and for the planet.”

Nicole embarked on a plant-based mission, and founded a non-profit organisation, The Martha Project. She calls all of the people living on the streets “Houseless” and believes that we are all interconnected. The Martha Project has fed up to six-thousand houseless people since 2019. During COVID-19, The Martha Project diligently provided healthy, delicious, and home cooked vegan meals to the houseless community. “I just truly believe that we are all interconnected, and that we affect each other. And that this idea of separateness is really just an illusion. So, in understanding that, you realize that we're not OK, unless we're all OK. And that actually, it is my honor, and also responsibility to take care of other people and beings on this planet.”

Upon hearing of her life-changing compassionate organization, Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Is very pleased to present the Shining World Compassion Award to Nicole Derseweh, plus a US$10,000 humble contribution to support this caring work, with all love and gratitude to all involved, in Heaven’s blessing.”