Dr. George Wiemann loves to eat. Not into junk food and sweets, his most “sinful” indulgence is an occasional serving of baby back ribs. Fortunately, he also finds great enjoyment in planning and fixing meals that not only taste great but are nutritionally balanced and fun too.

“I love to cook. My mom was a wonderful lady, but a lousy cook,” says the 56-year-old cardiologist with a chuckle. “So as a hungry teenage boy, I learned how to cook, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Dr. Wiemann worked in the kitchen at his fraternity house at Cornell in the 70s, first as a helper, then as a sous chef. Later his experience in a co-op living arrangement (where all the residents took turns cooking) helped him hone his freewheeling approach to making delicious meals.

Starting with a loose recipe, Dr. Wiemann adapts it to his preferences and those of his family. He shares cooking duties with his wife, anesthesiologist and avid chef Andrea Benack, MD, and their two teenagers.

He almost always has his trusty chef’s knife by his side in the kitchen. He laughs as he recounts how he used it in Doylestown Hospital’s Cardiology Cookoff a couple years ago, where he psyched out the other contestants by sharpening the knife in front of them.

Dr. Wiemann never misses a chance to educate his patients in the ways of heart healthy eating, advising them to reduce salt and cut down on fat and cholesterol.

“I teach them to read food labels too,” he says. “It’s like a puzzle in reverse.” He also teaches about deception in food advertising, for example, how “lite” doesn’t necessarily mean “good for you.”

“Spend a few minutes reading the food labels, and you’ll get educated quickly,” he adds.

Dr. Wiemann, who was raised on Long Island and graduated from Cornell University and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan, has been in practice with Central Bucks Cardiology in Doylestown and Doylestown Hospital since 1986.