HEAR WHAT, WHERE AND WHY

• The main attraction: Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone, a fairly recent Atlanta transplant.

Concord Music Group (ENLARGE)
R&B singer and recent Atlanta transplant Angie Stone will perform July 19 to promote diabetes awareness.
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IF YOU GO FACE diabetes awareness event. Free. 1-5 p.m. July 19 at the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA, 2220 Campbellton Rd. S.W. RELATED LINKS: • Blog: Atlanta Music Scene • Summer Music Guide • CD reviews • Find a concert

• The event: The Fearless African-Americans Connected and Empowered (FACE) diabetes awareness campaign. It includes a cooking demonstration and performance by Stone from her latest album, "The Art of Love & War."

• The reason she got involved: Stone learned she has Type 2 diabetes almost a decade ago. "Obviously, finding that out so young in my life kind of blew me away," she says. "I was in denial for a long time. I was afraid. That's why I think this is such a great position for me to be in now, to be able to tell people how to deal. How I deal. Because most people fear the unknown. And I've learned you can live a normal life — a full life — once you learn how to manage your diabetes. ... I'm from the South. We eat good in the South! And as long as we season our food properly, we can continue to."

• The cooking tips she's learned along the way: "I basically eat what I want, I just prepare it differently. I did give up sodas, but foodwise, everything else is about the same."

For example, an Angie Stone specialty — "When I'm really laying it out there for folks ... I cook oxtails. I cook cabbage. I cook rice. I use salt substitutes a lot and they don't even know it. And I season with herbs. Lemon is a great source of seasoning.

"Now my kids, they love spaghetti. And I know that pasta breaks down into sugar. So I use spinach pasta. They don't even know the difference. For the meat sauce, I use ground turkey. Seasoned just right.

"Baby, I've been cooking since the sixth grade with straight A's in home ec. And I was an only child, too, so I had to learn early. Plus, I've known for a long time that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."