MPS in Culinary Therapeutics

In this residency, students will have the opportunity to attend the CIA-Harvard Menus of Change® conference focusing on healthy, sustainable, delicious food choices. Students will experience dynamic guest speakers both at the conference and in special sessions designed for this MPS program. Students will have the opportunity to interact with leaders in the food and health industries and begin to consider who they might identify as members of a committee to provide mentorship for the Capstone project. Capstone project introductory information will be communicated. Students will also further refine their ability to demonstrate healthy cooking techniques in a culinary skills validation exercise. They will also evaluate and apply healthy diet theories to their preparations.

Over three days of structured Q&A, peer evaluation, discussion, and practice, students will hone their skills to prepare for a verbal presentation of their capstone project. The students will gather in their communities of practice for peer review and discussion prior to delivering their final presentation to an audience consisting of their cohort members, faculty, and potential CIA partners and guests. In addition, students will complete self and peer evaluations on final projects as well as on the overall degree program. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a graduation ceremony at the conclusion of the residency.

Diet and health concerns are inescapable issues for today's culinary professional. How can you offer the most healthful, flavorful menu choices to your clients? This course, taught by a chef-instructor with consultation from a registered dietician nutritionist, addresses that question by combining the results of current scientific research and the lessons of traditional diets and ingredients from around the globe. Students will evaluate various cooking and flavor development techniques that add variety and preserve nutrient density. Further, they will be able to impart these skills and knowledge to their client. Course content will be delivered through lectures, demonstrations, and a variety of educational activities.

This course will prepare the chef/culinarian to engage with members of a health care team to create meals and menus with foods that have been scientifically shown to have a therapeutic effect on chronic health problems including heart, kidney, liver and gastrointestinal diseases, various cancers, high blood pressure, prediabetes/diabetes and metabolic disorders. Students will integrate the knowledge and skills acquired from the prerequisite courses to allow them to understand how health professionals make nutritional diagnoses and dietary recommendations. This course will examine how nutritional needs change for various disease states and chronic health conditions. While keeping palatability and presentation of meals a priority, students will analyze recipes and propose medically tailored meals based on case studies and nutritional diagnoses. The integration of associated cultural, socioeconomic and educational needs of individuals with health challenges, where relevant, will be considered for the development of food recommendations.

The development of delicious meal plans that are compliant with dietary and health recommendations from medical professionals is a critical skill set necessary for chefs working with clients in the health and wellness space. This course will cover theoretical and practical skills for evaluating prescribed diets and incorporating them into meal plans that are manageable, desirable, and health-promoting for clients. Students will develop a level of expertise in meal planning and preparation for specific dietary needs at a level that will enable them to impart these skills to their clients for ongoing more healthful lifestyles. Students will learn teaching and communications techniques and skills in order to impart this knowledge to their clients.

For a culinarian to make positive contributions to the health and wellness of people receiving guidance and treatment by the healthcare system and its vast array of providers and support personnel, foundational knowledge of that system is critical. This course presents a survey of the history, successes, and vicissitudes of healthcare in the United States over the past century, with particular focus on the past several decades’ dynamics of specialization, organizational consolidation, technology penetration, and integrative medicine.

The responsibility of a culinarian as a central hub in the healthcare space also requires a familiarity with the supporting domains integral to the overall health of the client. This course provides an overview of the key areas of responsibility and the associated professionals who the culinarian is likely to collaborate closely with, and in turn provide culinary guidance to, with a goal to develop and execute intervention strategies that promote improved health. Collaborative disciplines include medical science; nutrition science; behavioral science; lifestyle medicine (mindfulness, movement, and exercise); rehabilitation science; and culinary medicine, among others.

This course is an interactive exploration of what it means to cultivate a healthy and mindful lifestyle emphasizing the choices that impact both wellness and disease. Using evidence-based strategies, graduates will explore the anatomy of change, the role of mindset, and the importance of developing goals and navigating setbacks to create meaningful change. The course culminates in a final project that encapsulates the student’s reflection of their own personal and professional development across the semester.

This is the capstone course for the MPS Program in Culinary Therapeutics. In this course, students will design and conduct a project on a topic of their choosing related to applied culinary arts in health and wellness. The course will assist students in defining the direction of their future career as culinary professionals in health systems. Projects may be research based, entrepreneurial, experiential, focused on a specific outcome such as a grant proposal or publication, or may take other forms relevant to the student’s goals and interests.