Fire Lake Grill House & Cocktail Bar executive chef Paul Lynch spent Jan. 5 cooking a week's worth of healthy and accessible meals featuring whole grains for Cynthia Beaumont and her family in North Bergen, N.J. Beaumont was the Grand Prize winner of Oldways' and the Whole Grains Council's "I Love My Whole Grains" photo contest. For the contest, consumers were invited to describe how they enjoy whole grains. Beaumont's mom has diabetes, and Beaumont encourages her to regularly eat whole grains to help regulate her blood sugar.
(l to r) "I Love My Whole Grains" contest winner Cynthia Beaumont, chef Paul Lynch and Cynthia Harriman, director of food and nutrition strategies for the Whole Grain Council and Oldways

Lynch along with Allergy Chefs Inc. founders and chefs Joel and Mary Schaefer came up with menus for the winning family based on their expertise in cooking with special dietary needs. Cynthia Harriman, director of food and nutrition strategies for the Whole Grains Council and its parent organization, Oldways, assisted Lynch in the Beaumont's kitchen.

"We wanted to prove that delicious, healthy, restaurant-quality food can be accessible to everyone," Lynch, who frequently incorporates whole grains into menu items at his Minneapolis-based restaurant, said in a statement.

For more information, visit www.wholegrainscouncil.com.