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FEATURE
who obtained her BS in Culinary Nutrition from the prestigious
Johnson &Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, a partner
institution with Tulane in this endeavor. In her capacity, Chef
Leah spends a lot of time developing and teaching curriculum for
medical students, the community and continuing education for the
healthcare and foodservice industry. She is working continuously to
build community partnerships with local and national organizations
and to get students hands-on experience in community outreach, so
they too can understand the rewards and challenges of nutrition
intervention.
Harlan recalls when the idea for the culinary medicine program was
initiated.The original idea was introduced by Dr. David Eisenberg
of the Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center, who
developed the concept of teaching kitchens to help patients learn
to shop, cook and eat healthy. Visiting Tulane’s School of Medicine,
Eisenberg suggested Tulane would be the perfect home for a
culinary medicine program that could lead the nation in combating
obesity, diabetes and other health issues related to weight, diet and
nutrition, given its home city’s reputation for its delicious cuisine.
Hence, the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane
University was created, the first dedicated teaching kitchen of its
kind to be implemented at a medical school. The center provides
hands-on training for medical students through culinary medicine
classes in the form of electives, modules and seminars, as well as
continuing education for the healthcare and foodservice industries.
The program introduces students to the basic concept behind a
Mediterranean-style diet, championed by Harlan, emphasizing
cooking with plant-based foods, whole grains, fish and poultry,
legumes and nuts.The hope is that they in turn will be able to advise
patients in the future on more healthful eating.
Tulane students can take an eight-class culinary medicine elective in
their first or second years.Third and fourth year students, as well as
visiting students, can do an elective in the kitchen learning culinary
medicine basics and helping to run classes for the community and
first years. Fourth year medical students can enroll in a month-
long away rotation at the partner culinary school, Johnson &Wales
University where they can participate in hands-on culinary and
culinary nutrition classes as well as academics related to Medical
Nutrition Therapy. The program aims to arm doctors with cooking
know-how, not just prescription pads.
The Goldring Center isn’t just a classroom for nutrition-minded
doctors, but welcomes health-focused chefs. Every quarter, a small
group of Johnson & Wales’s culinary students spend a rotation at
Tulane, helping to design curriculum and creating recipes that are a
part of the students’ education.
And in a city blessed with a plethora of acclaimed chefs, it is not
uncommon to find one of them in the teaching kitchen or featured
at a special dinner series event, sharing their knowledge and recipes.
James Beard award-winning chef Alon Shaya, currently a member
of the Center’s Advisory Board, has visited the center, showcasing
his version of hummus with tahini, a popular staple on the menu
at Shaya, his namesake eatery in Uptown New Orleans. Nationally
known Chef John Besh, a champion for the program, was on the
original advisory board.
“Our hope is to bridge the gap between science and the clinical,
to enable the medical students to share what they are learning in
habits to patients and people in their communities, including and
most important with those who may have health-related dietary
concerns,” says Harlan. “It is also about teaching the students how
to have the conversation with patients in the exam room.”
“It was such a simple yet important
concept,” recalls Goldring. “Teach
medical students about nutrition so
they, in turn, can teach patients.
That is where it all started.”