As the founder of Gardenburger, I have been asked many times, "To what do you attribute your success?" The first answer is that God has been good to me. The second thing that comes to mind is two-fold: bad health and business failure.

One day I was watching television (since I did not have energy to do much else) and there was an ad for the only health food store in my town. After I paid that store a visit I began to imagine that my health would magically fall into place. As it turned out, it did. Of course, in reality, I made some smart changes in my diet that made a huge improvement in my health. That set me on a lifepath that up until that moment did not exsist.

It was very empowering to figure out I did not have to accept disease. It has been over 40 years since that time when I became a vegetarian. Since then, I have poured my body and soul into learning about how eating habits affect our well-being.

I guess the most exciting part for me is sharing what I learn with others. Every time it seemed like I got to the end of a road, like in the mid 80's, when my natural food restaurant, the "Gardenhouse," closed and went "belly up," it was really an opportunity, not a door closing, to keep learning, growing and heading down another path (unknown at that moment) for what God had in mind for me.

After I invented Gardenburger® in my restaurant and started serving them on a regular basis, I realized something really special happened when lunch patrons had them for lunch.

People from all walks of life simply loved Gardenburgers®. It dawned on me one day that I had to make them available for a wider audience to enjoy. My quest was to make a great tasting, heat and serve food that was truly nutritious, and meatless to boot. People always ask what is in a Gardenburger® and I love to tell them because they are all recognizable ingredients which most everyone eats on a regular basis. The thing is, there are no unimportant ingredients in a Gardenburger®, or any of our natural food products. If it is in there, it's got a role to play.

Now, I have something really important to say to all of my Gardenburger® fans. I really appreciate your support of Gardenburger® over the years. I know you have made a difference in your own health, you have positively helped the environment, and you have made some creatures happy by not eating them.

Peace to you and yours and until next time,
Yours for better health,
Gardenchef® Paul F. Wenner