Profile
Yale School of Medicine / Yale New Haven Health System
Program Overview
The Irving and Alice Brown Teaching Kitchen at Yale New Haven Health, opened in 2023, brings patients and students together to cook side by side with chefs, registered dietitians, and physicians. The program integrates food and nutrition directly into patient care, student and resident education, staff training, and community wellness. Its mission is to build culinary confidence while reinforcing nutrition as a cornerstone of health.
The kitchen now reaches a wide spectrum of participants each year:
- Patients: More than 900 patients annually are referred through Yale New Haven Health’s electronic medical record to participate in free hands-on cooking classes. The Health meets Food community beginner series helps patients translate dietary recommendations into everyday practice.
- Medical Students, PA Students, & Residents: Yale School of Medicine students, physician associate students, and residents across primary care, pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry, and medicine-pediatrics rotate through the kitchen. Programming blends nutrition science with culinary application and interprofessional teamwork.
- Dietetic Interns: Seven dietetic interns on average rotate through the kitchen each year as part of their foodservice training. Interns co-lead classes, assist with curriculum delivery, and support evaluation projects.
- Community Members: Virtual cooking classes offered monthly focus on disease-specific themes or general wellness, reaching ~400 participants annually.
- Team Building: The teaching kitchen hosts team-building sessions for hospital staff and healthcare providers (~100 annually), creating opportunities to practice healthy cooking while strengthening workplace collaboration.
Classes are facilitated by chef/registered dietitians and physicians and are supported by medical students, dietetic interns, public health and graduate students, post-graduate researchers, and community volunteers.
Faculty Leadership
Nate Wood, MD, MHS, Chef, DipABLM, DABOM – Director of Culinary Medicine
Dr. Wood is the inaugural Director of Culinary Medicine at Yale School of Medicine and the Teaching Kitchen. A primary care physician and trained chef, he integrates clinical care, education, and research to advance food as medicine.
Max Goldstein, MS, RDN, CDN, CCMS – Chef Registered Dietitian
Max leads culinary medicine classes for patients, providers, and trainees. With a background in both culinary arts and nutrition science, he helps participants build skills and confidence to prepare healthy, sustainable meals at home.
Danielle Sanders, MPH, RDN, LD, CDN, CHES – Chef Registered Dietitian
Danielle brings expertise in public health, health equity, and applied nutrition. While leading culinary medicine classes, she is known for integrating cultural humility and food access into her teaching, helping patients and learners see food as both nourishing and enjoyable.
Amy Ralph, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC, CCMS – Clinical Manager Digestive Health Nutrition
Amy supports the operational side of the teaching kitchen, overseeing coordination, contracts, and program development within Yale New Haven Health.
Spotlight & Media
- NBC News featured the Teaching Kitchen’s hands-on classes that support chronic disease management.
- NBC CT highlighted how the program empowers patients to make healthier choices.
- FOX 61 spotlighted the impact on local patients and its role in prevention.
- Patient testimonials describe the program as “life-changing,” with participants reporting significant weight loss, lowered A1C, and increased enjoyment of cooking. One noted, “Anyone can give you a piece of paper on what to eat, but showing you how to buy, prepare, cook, and serve gives you the tools to execute.”
Research & Publications
- Patient Outcomes Study (2025) (PDF): At the Health meets Food Conference, the Yale team presented a retrospective analysis of its first year of patient programming. Survey respondents (n=120) reported significant improvements in nutrition knowledge, grocery shopping choices, meal planning, and cooking confidence, with many citing health benefits such as weight loss and reduced A1C. Patients overwhelmingly described the classes as enjoyable, effective, and empowering for making sustainable changes at home.
- EMR Integration: All patient referrals and attendance are tracked through Yale’s electronic medical record system (MyChart), creating a scalable model for linking culinary medicine programming to clinical care and outcomes.
Lessons Learned & Advice for Other Programs
The Yale New Haven Health team emphasizes the value of embedding culinary medicine directly into existing health system structures. Integrating referrals and documentation into the EMR has been a critical success factor, allowing the program to reach more patients, track demographics, and demonstrate outcomes.
They also highlight practical considerations: designing kitchen space and selecting equipment with accessibility and capacity in mind and engaging early with local health departments to clarify requirements for community-based programming.
Philanthropic support and space remain rate-limiting factors, but Yale notes that consistent evaluation — from pre- and post-class surveys to ongoing patient feedback — has helped them refine delivery, demonstrate value, and build momentum for growth.
