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Built for Flavor: Culinary Strategies Every Dietitian Should Know

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

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Proficiency: Basic knowledge/experience

Track: Culinary Trends, Foodservice Innovation, & School Nutrition

CPE: 1.5

Description

Nutrition starts in the kitchen—but flavor keeps people coming back. In this dynamic session, discover how flavor science, culinary techniques, and practical strategies can work together to support long-term, positive dietary changes. You’ll explore how we perceive taste, why flavor satisfaction matters, and how to create appealing, nutrient-rich meals without relying on excess salt, sugar, or fat. Designed for dietitians across all practice areas, this session offers tools to elevate client experiences, improve institutional menus, and reconnect nutrition guidance with the joy of eating. Whether you're working in a hospital, school, or private practice, these culinary strategies will help you make every bite count—deliciously.

Planned with the Committee for Lifelong Learning

Learning Objectives

  • Describe how human physiology, sensory perception, and cultural context influence flavor preferences, and use this understanding to inform culinary nutrition practices and recommendations.
  • Identify culinary techniques that enhance flavor without relying on excess sodium, sugar, or saturated fat, and apply these methods in the development of health-promoting meals.
  • Demonstrate how to modify, scale, and execute flavorful, nutrient-rich recipes for use in institutional settings, including schools, hospitals, and community programs.

Performance Indicators

  • 14.2.1 Adheres to and communicates relevant regulations, dietary guidelines, and organizational policies in menu development and implementation.
  • 9.1.1 Interprets and applies the appropriate evidence-based literature and standards for determining nutritional needs of target audiences.
  • 9.5.1 Plans and designs nutritionally sound meals, menus and meal plans that promote health and disease management and meet client needs.

Speakers

  • Leah Sarris photo

    Leah Sarris

    Founder, Culinary Medicine Consulting, LLC

    Leah Sarris is a chef, registered dietitian, and national leader in culinary medicine and program development. A graduate of Johnson & Wales and with over 15 years of experience, she has created and scaled evidence-based initiatives that connect food, nutrition, and healthcare across sectors. Leah was the founding director of Tulane’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine—the first teaching kitchen in a medical school—now a nationally adopted model through the American College of Culinary Medicine. She also helped launch the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) as the Executive Director, where she led curriculum design, strategic planning, fundraising, and community impact efforts. Her diverse background spans foodservice, sustainable agriculture, research and development, higher education, and nonprofit leadership. Leah has taught culinary medicine and culinary nutrition at both Johnson & Wales University and Tulane University and continues to consult across healthcare, education, and foodservice. Known for her practical, innovative approach, Leah works at the intersection of food, nutrition, and education, helping organizations build impactful, scalable programs that improve lives through better food.
  • Cyndie Story photo

    Cyndie Story

    Founder, SproutCNP and Culinary Solution Centers, LLC

    Chef Cyndie is the owner of Culinary Solution Centers and co-founder of SproutCNP. She leads the K12 Culinary Team in creating engaging online education for beginners to master levels. With over 30 years in school nutrition and foodservice management, she is well-connected at the local, state, and USDA levels including industry leaders. Her deep connections enable her to listen to child nutrition partners about their wants and needs, from frontline staff to industry partners. Out of these conversations emerged the need and desire for accessible, interesting, practical online training. This feedback led to the creation of SproutCNP, a testament to her commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of child nutrition partners. When she’s not teaching the next generation of school nutrition professionals, she travels the world and cooks for her family and friends. For more information, go to www.chefcyndie.com and www.sproutcnp.com.

Moderator

  • Bettina Applewhite photo

    Bettina Applewhite

    Founder, Applewhite Nutrition, LLC

    Bettina Applewhite, RDN, is a nationally recognized dietitian, culinary trainer, and founder of Applewhite Nutrition, LLC. Pleasantly known as Bites With Applewhite, she brings nearly 20 years of experience in foodservice and nutrition to her work helping organizations offer meals that are both healthful and culturally meaningful. With a background rooted in school nutrition, Bettina now partners with institutions, group homes, and public health programs to deliver culinary trainings, develop inclusive recipes, and support thoughtful, community-centered food solutions. Her approach centers flavor, tradition, and real-world practicality. Bettina has been featured on Bravo’s Top Chef Amateurs and was named a “Cook to Follow” by AllRecipes. Whether on stage or in the kitchen, she empowers teams to embrace cultural foods as a path to connection and better health.

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