Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Policy Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To read our full Nondiscrimination Statement, click here.

The Teaching Kitchen About Us

About the Teaching Kitchen

The Teaching Kitchen hosts an average of 25 classes a month. Our medically tailored classes aim to prevent and manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, chronic pain, substance use disorder, bariatric weight loss surgery management and more. Our community classes offer culinary skills for staff during their lunch hour, our refugee program, Boston Public Schools, and the families of our patients and staff. We also offer classes to Boston University to support their staff wellness and offer classes to Boston University’s Medical School students.

Food as Medicine

At Boston Medical Center, we understand that food is medicine. We also know that eating healthy can be hard to do with a busy schedule and on a tight budget. This is why we make it our mission to provide patients with medically and culturally appropriate food from our Preventive Food Pantry, fresh produce from our Roof Top Farm, and culinary skills and nutrition education from our Teaching Kitchen.

Culinary medicine is a growing field that incorporates food and nutrition into the practice of medicine to prevent and treat diseases. The dietitians in the Teaching Kitchen take nutrition research and apply it to food access strategies and culinary skills. Each class begins with a short lesson about nutrition and how food impacts specific health needs. Then, participants practice hands on culinary skills by following a recipe that supports their needs and uses food found in our food pantry.

We are proud members of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative. Please check out their website to learn more about other teaching kitchens, supporting research, and for tips to starting your own teaching kitchen.

The physical space of the Teaching Kitchen has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all of our classes have been virtual, over Zoom. We will be re-opening in-person classes in January 2023, and will continue to offer virtual program, as well.

 

Gabrielle Simons MS, RD, LDN
Teaching Kitchen Manager

Olivia Weinstein MS, RD, LDN
Culinary Nutrition Director

Tracey Burg RD, Chef 
Program Founder