Lucas McLawhorn Featured in Documentary Film

Lucas McLawhorn ’01 is passionate about helping people – especially kids – empower themselves to live healthier lives. A new documentary, A Well-Fed Education tells his inspiring story. The film, produced by Kind of Cool Productions, premiered at the Cameron Art Museum in August.

McLawhorn earned his degree in Spanish with a concentration in Education at UNCW. He began his career as a Spanish teacher and basketball coach at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill. He continued in this capacity for nearly 20 years with positions at Myrtle Middle Grove Middle School in Wilmington and at a bilingual day school in Switzerland.

A cancer diagnosis led McLawhorn to research how plant-based whole foods can help prevent disease. While in recovery, he began creating recipes, making lunch for teachers and catering. Today, he is the proprietor of Well-Fed Ed, a plant-based food truck in Wilmington. He also makes frequent visits to local schools and businesses to share his message of the transformative power of nutrition. 

“Well-Fed Ed and plant based goodness is for everyone,”McLawhorn said. “My goal is to inspire people to let the power of plants take them to another level of vibrant living.”

McLawhorn says he is and always will be a teacher.

“Building bridges to get to know the students and inspiring them to be their best is what I most enjoy about being an educator,” he said. “I will always be a teacher because I never want to stop learning. I am still learning and teaching others, but in the streets now. The community of Wilmington is my classroom now, and the food truck is literally the vehicle. The WFE mission is to empower people to nourish themselves. So, I do my best to teach others how to lead a healthier lifestyle through their diet.”

McLawhorn’s wife, Ingrid Stenzel is a Spanish teacher at Island Montessori School. He said they would encourage anyone who is interested in making an impact on the lives of others to consider pursuing a teaching career.

“The profession, especially here in the southern US, does not get the credit and reverence it deserves,” he said. “Teachers have hands down the most important job that exists. Education unshackles us, nurtures us, and allows us to grow and flourish freely. To anyone considering teaching - don't do it for the money, do it for something far more important - our youth. It is a calling. Answer that call, because we need passionate teachers now more than ever.”

Jesse Bradley, UNCW’s director of media production, founded the independent film company Kind of Cool Productions to share stories that capture the essence of extraordinary people, passionate about life.

“The day I met Lucas, I enjoyed one of the most delicious meals of my life,” Bradley said. “I've been whole foods plant-based for six years. I spent a year researching the healthiest way to eat and since I changed my diet to plant-based, I have had substantial health improvements and increased energy and vitality. When I met Lucas, I was impressed by his perseverance and passion. I knew his story would make a great film to inspire people to empower themselves.”

“As Lucas says in the film, ‘Sometimes you got to do stuff for the good of humanity,’” Bradley said.

“A Well-Fed Education” will be featured at the Raleigh Film & Art Festival in October. Local screenings, including one at Kure Beach will be held this fall, and the team plans to release the film on YouTube sometime in 2025.

To learn more view the Well Fed Education Mini-Trailer or visit Kind of Cool Productions.

To schedule a screening, a visit to your school or business from the Well-Fed Ed truck, or a talk with McLawhorn, contact Lucas at wellfeded2022@gmail.com or 910.200.1910. To see Food Truck times and locations, follow Well-Fed Ed on Instagram. (K-12 teachers – both former and present – get a 20 percent discount!)