Zest. It says a lot about what the folks who are involved with Culinary Medicine are about. People connected with the Culinary Medicine movement have just that: a zest for life, learning, and teaching.
Zest evokes the excitement and passion that is happening at the intersection of where health meets food.
Announcing Culinary Medicine Programming for Chefs and Foodservice Professionals
The Advisory Board and the Health meets Food team is excited to announce pioneering Culinary Medicine programming for chefs and foodservice professionals. The programming launches today as a 20 module series and the courseware will be available for culinary schools as well as a certification program.
Chefs and foodservice professionals are perfectly positioned to play a central role in changing the way Americans eat. However, many chefs and foodservice professionals feel their nutrition education and ability to communicate practical, effective guidance to consumers as well as their skill to produce food that is healthy and delicious is lacking.
The Certified Culinary Medicine Professional (CCMP) program provides foodservice professional at any level with a unique combination of nutritional knowledge and improved healthy culinary skills so that they can effectively incorporate healthy options into menus to help consumers.
Through certification, foodservice professionals will enhance their knowledge, confidence, and skills by learning how to:
- Evaluate and apply the most rigorous current research to menu and recipe development.
- Enhance the quality of meals prepared.
- Improve the diet quality especially targeting diet-related chronic diseases
Featuring a hybrid 45-credit curriculum comprised of online education, live conference learning, and hands-on teaching kitchen modules, the CCMP program is designed for those passionate about integrating science-based nutrition research into their culinary skillset and will equip candidates with the nutritional knowledge and culinary skills to optimize health.
Certification for Foodservice Professionals
View the program’s hybrid curriculum and steps towards certification.
Frequently Asked Questions
View the FAQs.
Save the Date for Health meets Food: Culinary Medicine in Foodservice Roundtable
Save the date for a free virtual roundtable covering the intersection of food and health through presentations and conversations with leaders across the culinary world, hospital foodservice, advocacy, government, social sciences and education.
September 19, 2022 at 11:00 AM EDT via Zoom. Registration will open for the free program later in July. Speakers include:
Daniel Boulud – Dinex Group
Chef Bruno Tison – Northwell Health
Gary Cohen – Healthcare Without Harm
Dr. Warner Absenger – Grand Rapids Community College
Dr. James Reynolds – Aston University, Birmingham
Kate Mackenzie, MS, RD – NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy
Marie Molde, RD – Datassential
Monthly Zest Food Lovers Questionnaire
If you would like to be featured in the Monthly Zest Food Lovers Questionnaire, fill out the form below. This year’s entries will be voted on by reader and the best entry will receive free tuition to the 2023 Health meets Food: The Culinary Medicine Conference.
Sylveria O. Olatidoye, MD
I have been a family practice physician for the past 28 years. Over the years I have seen the devasting impact of unhealthy lifestyles in the lives of my patients, friends and family. This has ignited a passion in me to learn as much as I can about how to improve the nutritional status of my patients. This passion led to board certification in Obesity medicine. I discovered culinary medicine by accident and was delighted to discover this great opportunity to acquire culinary skills and the confidence to give practical dietary advice to my patients. I am in the process of acquiring certification in culinary medicine.
I was born in Manchester, England and moved to Lagos, Nigeria when I was three years old. I completed my primary and secondary education in Nigeria and moved to the United States to attend college.
I chose to become a doctor because I saw the positive impact that several of my physician family members had on my community in Nigeria. I am married to a cardiologist, and we have been blessed with two children. We have lived in various parts of the U.S., including the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. We decided to make Atlanta our home 10 years ago because we have family in the area. As a member of our Kaiser Permanente Family Practice Department, I see members of all ages, from newborns to our geriatric members. I love the variety of patients that I see as a family practice physician. I enjoy treating patients from the cradle to their golden years. It is a privilege to care for members of the same family and build relationships with them.
I believe in treating the whole person – body, mind and spirit. In my opinion, difficulties in one area affect the other.
What is your favorite ingredient?
Curry/Turmeric: I put them in everything
What is your least favorite ingredient?
Nutmeg: I don’t like how it smells
What turns you on creatively?
Looking through recipes on Pinterest, or well-designed cookbooks with great pictures
What turns you off?
A cluttered kitchen with unwashed dishes in the sink.
What culinary flavor or aroma do you love?
Sauteed onions with minced garlic.
What culinary flavor or aroma do you hate?
Burnt food.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A food writer. I will like to catalog ancient grains, and vegetables. I am Nigerian and will like to encourage consumption of my native foods rather than commercialized processed foods that are becoming more common.
What profession would you not like to do?
Law enforcement.
Julia Child invites you to a pot luck dinner with James Beard and Aguste Escoffier. What dish would you take?
I will like to showcase Nigerian food. I will make Egusi soup with pounded yam and Palm wine.
Culinary Medicine in the News
Pathways Academy Students Participate In Lessons On Healthy Eating
High school students taking part in Pathways Academy’s Pine Bluff program spent two weeks learning about leadership, health and nutrition during a summer intensive camp.
Pathways Academy — part of the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) — is an educational and community engagement program that focuses on preparing low-income and underrepresented students from kindergarten through 12thgrade for opportunities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health sciences (STEM-H) disciplines.
Food Share & Culinary Medicine | Palmetto Scene
Many communities in South Carolina do not have access or financial resources to eat healthy on a daily basis. That’s why FoodShare South Carolina’s mission is to increase access to, knowledge of and consumption of vegetables and fruit through community-led projects. Going even further to partner with USC’s School of Culinary Medicine to help students learn how to eat healthy in life and for their future patients in the field of medicine. UT Southwestern Medical Center at Red Bird to open next month
Upcoming Culinary Medicine Events
Continuing Medical Education via Zoom
The Health meets Food team began offering online hands-on cooking classes for CME credit in early May 2020. The classes have been very successful and our first round sold out, so we are adding more classes! Participants will use Zoom to gather, collaborate, cook together, and discuss case studies. Each module will follow the workflow of in-person programming and will take about 3 1/2 hours to complete. A shopping and equipment list is available for each module to guide you in preparation. For registration issues, questions, or for more event information, please contact Cecilia Hatfield at cecilia@culinarymedicine.org.
Register for CME
Curriculum Committee Meetings Every Second Thursday of the Month
Health meets Food Curriculum Committee meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 5:00 PM Eastern time. All partner sites are invited to join the Zoom meeting. The goal for the remainder of this academic year is to review the carbohydrates module.
You can find Zoom information for participation in the monthly meeting in the Instructor Resources inside Moodle.
Research Committee Meetings Every Third Thursday of the Month
The Health meets Food Research Committee meets on the third Thursday of each month at 5:00 PM Eastern time.
Information on how to join the meeting via Zoom can be found in the Research Information for Health meets Food section of the Instructor Resources
Free Food Security Continuing Medical Education
Continuing Medical Education Online
The Health meets Food team offers free continuing medical education programming focused on food security issues.
Last month we added a third module covering food banks and medically tailored meal programs.
The first two modules are also available and can be accessed free online. One module covers food security in older adults, and the second covers the SNAP and WIC programs. This is a significant issue for many in our society and the courseware covers background as well as actionable information for healthcare professionals.
All three of these modules are also available for use by partner-sites using the Health meets Food courseware for healthcare professional students.
Register for Free CME
The Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist (CCMS) Program
The Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist (CCMS) designation identifies clinicians who have a unique foundation for incorporating healthy eating into patients’ diets: comprehensive knowledge of nutrition and the culinary techniques to prepare food that is consistent with real-world budgets, time constraints, and nutritional ideals. Physicians, Physicians Assistants, Pharmacists, Registered Dietitians and Nurse Practitioners are eligible for certification.
The hybrid 60-credit curriculum includes a distinctive combination of online nutrition education courses, live conferences, and in-person attendance at hands-on teaching kitchen modules.By completing the program, clinicians will enhance their confidence and quality of care by learning how to:
- Integrate nutritional counseling to supplement pharmacological treatment
- Educate patients about weight loss and weight management
- Develop practical examination-room dialogues that inspire behavioral change
- Implement new strategies in even the busiest primary care offices
