With parents in the medical field, Chef Gerard Rangel realized early on how important healthy food is. “Food is natural medicine,” he says. Born in the Philippines, he moved to the U.S. when he was 16, teaching himself to cook before being trained in French and Mediterranean culinary styles. Chef Gerard is passionate about food and food trends and likes using simple, sustainable and local ingredients to build menus. Many of his university café guests are vegetarians, inspiring him to create a variety of plant-based dishes over the past few years.