Philippines: Vegan with a vision

From malaya.com.ph

‘Kapag vegan ka, gusto mong maging mabait na lang – Mae Vinluan-Dolonius’

Last May 27, 2025, the Global United Nations Association of the Philippines (Global UNAP) conferred the culinary studio of TV/movie/concert producer-turned-vegan chef Mylene “Mae” Vinluan-Dolonius as a Peace Centre. Mae’s culinary studio, named Studio Plantmaed, became Global UNAP’s 11th peace centre in the Philippines.

Peace and cultural advocates, such as Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang, Global UNAP President Roderick Cruz, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and Philippine theatre stalwart Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, were present at the special event. Members of the academe and representatives of Calamba’s local government were also there to cheer for Mae. The conferment was held at Studio Plantmaed in scenic Barangay Bungo, Calamba, Laguna.

The honour couldn’t have come at a better time as the United Nations is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. As Global UNAP President Roderick Cruz raised the UN flag in Studio Plantmaed, he also declared, “Article 6 of the United Nations Flag Code says to raise the UN flag as a symbol of hope and peace. Peace should start from the inner self to our families, to the community and spread to the world.”

Cruz, who flew from Texas for the occasion, hoped that plant-based food, which Mae is promoting, could be more accessible and more readily available.

After Mae and her husband Conny experienced a cancer scare more than ten years ago, they opted for a lifestyle change. The former producer did not only turn vegan, Mae went steps further and studied raw vegan culinary cuisine at Matthew Kenny’s academy in Huahin, Thailand, with the renowned Chef Matthew Kenny as her mentor, took additional courses in plant-based culinary cuisine and nutrition at the Sayuri Healing Food in Bali, Indonesia, and at the Living Light Academy in Fort Brag, California.

In 2019, Mae established her culinary studio.

Mae has experienced for herself the benefits of a plant-based diet. “I went from a size 12 to a size 0… Also, before I flew to Thailand to study, I was diagnosed with almost stage 1 ovarian cancer. After 30 days of eating just the raw vegan food we prepared in Matthew Kenny’s school, I had a check up when I went back to Manila and my OB could not find my cancer anymore,” said Mae.

“Raw food is living food,” she emphasized.

Studies, like the one published in the US National Library of Medicine website, also noted that, “Healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet… Research shows that these diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, HbA1C, and cholesterol levels, and may also reduce the number of medications needed to treat chronic diseases.”

Cecile Guidote Alvarez hailed Mae’s efforts and said that the mission of her culinary studio jives with the United Nation’s objectives. “Napakahalagang pagkakataon to promote plant-based diet. I am a cancer survivor twice. There must be an absolute shift of attitude to living and eating. The UN declared a year to focus on a diet of fruits and vegetables… Walang kapayapaan kung may sakit,” the founder of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) underscored.

With over 500 chefs trained, including professionals in the food industry under the Department of Health (DOH), the impact of Studio Plantmaed certainly extends beyond the kitchen. As the Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang said, “Mae is using every meal and every student for transformation and education.”

Mae had always been a maverick, always willing to tread into unknown fields. Back in the 2000s to the 2010s, when the concert scene wasn’t as thriving as today, Mae dared to produce big shows for Vice Ganda, Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez, Jim Paredes, and the European tour of the APO Hiking Society, to name a few of her projects. By being a chef promoting plantbased food, Mae remains true to her advocacy to make people feel good and happy. “Kapag vegan ka, gusto mong maging mabait na lang,” Mae said with a smile. “It’s a really beautiful transition.”

https://malaya.com.ph/entertainment/columns-entertainment/vegan-with-a-vision/