Announcing Boosting Brain Health with Food + Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s on April 17

The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (MMJCCM) announces the line-up for Brain Health Kitchen + Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s: Boosting Brain Health with Food, an in-person event, with virtual streaming option, on Monday, April 17 at 6:00 PM. The event will feature a panel of experts on how the foods we eat influence our health and wellbeing in relation to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. The conversation will be followed by a live musical performance and book signing.

The experts joining the panel of Brain Health Kitchen + Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s include Annie Fenn, M.D., founder of the Brain Health Kitchen, the only cooking school focused on cognitive wellness, to learn how maintaining brain health is easy, accessible, and delicious; Matthew E. Fink, M.D., chairman of the Department of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and neurologist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, to hear the latest updates in brain research; and Marisa Seifan, a former federal prosecutor turned CEO and co-founder of Honeybrains, to discover why she created the first restaurant dedicated to better brain health. Moderated by Caroline Kohles, MMJCCM senior director of Health + Wellness, this lively discussion will also include cognitive hypnotherapist Suzette Shahmoon on how caregivers can benefit from healthy lifestyle and eating habits. 

The event will also feature a book signing with Annie Fenn, as well as insights from her debut book, The Brain Health Kitchen: Preventing Alzheimer’s through Food, which includes over 100 recipes designed to promote brain health and cognitive decline prevention through mindful eating. The evening will conclude with a live musical performance.

“The brain is the new frontier. There is great interest in the impact of nutrients and food quality on our health and brain function,” shares Kohles. “For example, we know that ultra-processed foods aren’t good for us but some studies now show that they might impact our cognitive function. If eating whole foods can help reduce the risk of dementia then we need to be talking about it.”

This hybrid event is part of a groundbreaking JCC program founded 15 years ago to improve the lives of those impacted by Parkinson’s. Brain Health Kitchen + Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s begins at 6 PM EDT on Monday, April 17 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan in-person and online. The event is free to people living with PD by using discount code PARKINSON100, and general public tickets are $15. Registration is recommended for both the in-person and virtual experience. 

Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s is supported by a community grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation. Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s is part of the Northwell Health Edmond J. Safra Wellness Initiative at the MMJCCM. The initiative helps improve the lives of those impacted by Parkinson’s. Through education, exercise, and other programs, and in collaboration with the medical and local communities, people impacted by Parkinson’s remain active, connected, and empowered.

About the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
Together with its community, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan creates opportunities for people to connect, grow, and learn within an ever-changing Jewish landscape. Located on 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the JCC is a vibrant non-profit community center on the Upper West Side. It also presents a robust slate of virtual programming, serving an even wider community. The JCC serves over 30,000 people annually through 1,200 programs each season that educate, inspire, and transform participants’ minds, bodies, and spirits. Since its inception, the JCC has been committed to serving the community by offering programs, classes, and events that reach beyond neighborhood boundaries, reaching people at all stages of their lives. Learn more at mmjccm.org.

Bios of Co-Hosts and Participants (in alphabetical order)

Annie Fenn, M.D., is founder of the Brain Health Kitchen cooking school, which focuses exclusively on brain health and helping people prevent cognitive decline through food and lifestyle. After 20 years as a board-certified ob-gyn, she traded in her stethoscope for an apron to pursue her passion for the culinary arts. But it was her mother’s diagnosis with dementia that helped Annie find her path and her new calling. She lives in Jackson, Wyoming. Find her on Instagram at @brainhealthkitchen.

Matthew E. Fink, M.D., is the Louis and Gertrude Feil Professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also neurologist-in-chief, chief of the Division of Stroke and Critical Care Neurology, and vice chairman of the Medical Board at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. 

Caroline Kohles is senior director of Health + Wellness programming at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. In her 19 years at the JCC, she has spearheaded a progressive slate of fitness programming. Her signature work includes developing a range of cancer care programs in partnership first with Mount Sinai Hospital and with Alison Estabrook, M.D., a nationally recognized breast cancer surgeon. She also designed the nationally and internationally recognized Northwell Health Edmond J. Safra Parkinson’s program, now in its 15th year. A health and wellness professional for over 30 years, Kohles is co-founder of Nia New York, a holistic lifestyle and fitness practice.

Marisa Seifan is the CEO and co-founder of Honeybrains, the first healthcare hospitality brand dedicated to better brain health. Honeybrains began with one restaurant in NYC’s NoHo neighborhood in 2016, and now has four locations. Before starting Honeybrains, Marisa was a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, where her roles included chief of general crimes and deputy chief of public integrity. She is a graduate of Duke University and Georgetown University Law Center. Marisa is married to Tomer Seifan, one of Honeybrains co-founders, and is the proud mother of three young boys.  

Suzette Shahmoon trained as a cognitive hypnotherapist in 2010 and has been working in private practice ever since. In 2013 she qualified as a supervisor and in 2016 she started her career in research at University College London. She is currently researching wellbeing in people with chronic neurological illness and their caregivers. Suzette lectures in the corporate world on a range of wellbeing topics and she has just launched the podcast Hand Baggage Only, on friendship.