Vel Scott is an advocate and a leader in the movement to bring nutrition and healthy living into people’s lives. Vel leads workshops, lectures, and cooking demonstrations to show how food can be the catalyst for better living.

Vel helped reverse her husband’s heart disease by exploring ways to prepare the soul food that he loved. She has traveled the globe and learned to integrate the spices and flavors of global cuisine into her recipes. Her mission is to share this knowledge with people who are looking for help in managing diseases such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and cancer, and who wish to improve their lifestyle through food.

Vel leads Purple Oasis, a community-based urban farm situated on one acre of land in Cleveland, Ohio. The farm engages members of the community to come together to grow high quality produce. The Oasis has developed a partnership with Oberlin College’s Environmental Studies Department, Case Western Reserve University’s volunteer groups, the Green Triangle permaculture designers, John Hay High School Environmental Club, the Ronald McDonald House, the New Agrarian Center, and the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods. Since the garden began in the spring of 2008, it has grown “leaps and bounds.”