Mark Anthony, a Las Vegas chef with a long list of famous clients, plans to bring his dinner show to Dyersburg for one night only.

Anthony is scheduled to present a live culinary performing-arts program at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Dyersburg Adventist Church, 2355 Henry St. (across from Abe’s Rib-eye Barn).

The cooking demonstration and the meal are free. Reservations may be made by calling the Seventh-day Adventist Church at 676-7435.

Anthony, 46, has been whipping up tasty dishes most of his life. He became the youngest executive chef in Vegas history at the age of 24. He earned a “working man’s Ph.D.” in the kitchens of casinos, restaurants and hospitals. He also has catered parties and events for Jack Nicholas, Montel Williams, Styx, Journey and dozens of other celebrities.

His love of food was evident by the time he turned 40. He said he weighed 305 pounds, had a cholesterol level of 263 and was dangerously close to becoming a diabetic. having worked in hospitals, he understood the dangers of obesity and promised himself that he’d do something about that.

Convinced that cholesterol is one of the biggest killers in the nation, Anthony adopted a vegan diet. He lost 75 pounds in four years and his cholesterol level dropped to 118.

Anthony said he feels better and has more energy now than he did when he was in his 20s.

Enthusiastic about the change in his own life, Anthony embarked on a cross-country trip in the summer of 2009. He wanted to visit every state in the nation, giving free cooking demonstrations and telling his story. He just returned from Hawaii, his 49th state so far. He hasn’t made it to Alaska yet, but he has hopes of getting there someday.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said.

Anthony tells people that healthy eating creates a domino effect that leads to a healthier mind, spirit and soul. once you eliminate cholesterol from your diet and your blood stream, you begin to think more clearly and make better decisions, he said.

Anthony laughingly described cholesterol as the devil’s No. 1 tool. The Bible says the devil will work to gain control of a person’s body, mind, spirit and soul, in that order, he said.

So, he believes that if you maintain a healthy body, you’ll also benefit from a healthy mind as well as a strong spirit and soul.

Too many American’s are headed in the wrong direction, Anthony said. He pointed to statistics showing 90 percent of Americans die from killer diseases. about 41 percent of the American diet involves animal products, such as meat, milk and eggs. Vegetables and fruits comprise about 7 percent of the American diet, he said.

In Thailand, about 72 percent of the citizens’ calories come from a plant-based diet and only 11 percent of the citizens die from killer diseases.

What you eat is important, but it’s not the only key to healthy living. Anthony recommended that we alter the way we eat. Instead of skipping breakfast and making supper our largest meal of the day, he believes we should eat a big breakfast and a small lunch and supper.

His message and stories about his travels will soon be featured in a new book, “Cross Country.” Anthony also has written “Vegan Simplicity,” a cookbook, and “From Sin City to Simplicity,” a testimony about how he changed his life and became more dedicated to Christ.

Anthony also is featured on three Angels Broadcasting Network, which is where Maryann Krueger learned about his plan to present free cooking classes throughout the nation. Krueger, who has been coordinating the church’s health and happiness classes since May, invited Anthony to Dyersburg.

“Our church has always done cooking classes,” Krueger said. The church has offered cooking seminars once a year for many years and established a monthly cooking program last May.”

While the church doesn’t have a vegetarian doctrine, Krueger said members do not eat “unclean meat,” such as pork and catfish. “Our goal is to be healthy to be better servants to God,” she said. The cooking classes show people that there are healthy alternatives that taste good, too, she said.

In the monthly sessions, cooks prepare three to five dishes and give a short talk. each class lasts about an hour and a half.

Upcoming classes include new and fresh recipes for “March Madness” on March 6 and “Real happy Meals” (or how to get children to eat vegetables) on April 3. Both classes are slated at 3 p.m. at the church.

“It’s been pretty good,” Krueger said. “We’ve had people with health issues coming and they’re doing better now with healthier eating.”

“It’s healthy, tasty and it’s easy,” Krueger said of a vegetarian diet. “It’s not as hard as people think.”