World traveler, chef for world class athletes, new business owner, these are a just a few words that describe Iverson Brownell. These experiences might make Iverson one of the most diversified chefs who now calls San Antonio home. He is currently consulting for the Cancer Therapy & Research Center’s (CTRC) patient study funded by the Komen Foundation, co-founding CanSurvive Cuisine and staring as a chef at the Saint Anthony Hotel.
Iverson is
all Southern charm, calling South Carolina home before attending Johnston and Wales University. After graduation, he moved to Park City, Utah where he started his own company that catered to prestigious events such as the Sun Dance Film Festival. During this time, he was a guest host on ESPN’s Offshores Adventures in addition to planning and cooking meals for the USA house at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Nearly 7 years ago, at the pinnacle of his career, Iverson transitioned to public health initiatives. He began creating recipes based off medical research on various foods that provide significant health benefits.
This venture culminated into a joint venture with Dr. Mike Wargovich and the creation of CanSurvive Cuisine, whose recipe development, menu plans, and consultation helps clients become proactive in their food choices to prevent disease and illness. Dr. Wargovich, a renowned San Antonio researcher and scientist, investigates the anti-inflammatory properties of various ingredients that Iverson can incorporate into delectable meals. Iverson puts it this way, “We have all this wonderful research at our fingertips. It has become a real passion of mine to figure out how to implement it. And it doesn’t have to be difficult, expensive or scary.” This research is being incorporated into the CTRC study where Iverson is helping recreate traditional San Antonio cuisine into something that is not only savory but also aids in fighting off disease. The workshop provides 120 San Antonio breast cancer survivors with research-based dietary intervention with the hopes of reeducating and initiating lifestyle changes that will benefit the entire family.
The future is full of endless possibilities for Iverson Brownell as he has shown to be somewhat of a culinary chameleon. What does Iverson see in his future? Making San Antonio and eventually the U.S. healthier by using food as medicine, an appetizing treatment we can all enjoy.
We are not the only ones who see the potential of CanSurvive Cuisine, we will leave you with a quote from Erik Sprunk, NIKE, Inc’s Chief Operating Officer, “I see extremely large national potential for Iverson and his team implementing wellness and nutrition. He has been a key to our corporate global team.”