Stop Starting With the Recipe: A Better Way to Plan Teaching Kitchen & Culinary Medicine Classes

Описание: How do you choose the right recipes for a culinary medicine class — and why does that decision matter more than you think?

In this February INFUSE community of practice session, we move beyond “what should I cook?” and into a strategic, outcomes-driven approach to recipe selection for teaching kitchens, nutrition education, and culinary medicine programs.

You’ll learn how to align recipes with your curriculum goals, your audience’s real needs, and your strengths as a facilitator — so your sessions are more engaging, more effective, and easier for participants to replicate at home.

Whether you’re just starting a culinary medicine program, refining an existing teaching kitchen, or building confidence as a facilitator, this session will help you create meaningful, low-barrier, skill-building food experiences.

✨ In this session, we cover:
• Why recipes are a tool — not the end goal
• A simple curriculum framework for culinary medicine classes
• How to select recipes based on outcomes (not the other way around)
• Matching recipes to your audience’s skill level and capacity
• Choosing engaging formats for demo vs. hands-on vs. virtual teaching
• Adapting recipes to different kitchens and equipment
• How to use existing recipes ethically for education
• When and how to modify a recipe to make it your own
• Creating experiences participants can actually repeat at home

This is practical, real-world guidance from over a decade of implementing culinary medicine in clinical and community settings — including leading one of the largest teaching kitchen programs in an integrated healthcare system and supporting 500+ dietitians in this work.

If your goal is to make interactive nutrition education the standard of care, you’re in the right place.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Welcome & overview
00:45 What INFUSE is & who this is for
02:10 My background in culinary medicine & teaching kitchens
04:25 Why recipe selection should start with outcomes
06:05 The curriculum framework (big idea → skill → reflection)
10:20 Teaching flexible meal building: example class flow
13:40 Conceptual vs. physical factors in recipe selection
15:10 Audience needs, facilitator strengths & desired outcomes
18:40 Not all recipes are created equal (and why it matters)
23:10 Choosing clear, confidence-building recipes
26:15 Where to find reliable recipe sources
27:30 Adapting recipes to your space & equipment
32:10 Demo vs. hands-on vs. virtual teaching considerations
34:30 High-engagement recipe formats (stovetop & no-cook)
36:50 Using and adapting recipes ethically (copyright & education)
44:45 Making a recipe your own: the “change 3 things” rule
49:10 Final alignment check: does it serve the outcome?
51:40 Depth over breadth in culinary medicine education
54:10 Seasonal rotation & keeping classes fresh
56:00 Key takeaways
57:10 Resource spotlight: Mix It Up
59:30 Culinary Medicine Mastermind announcement
1:03:40 Next call details & closing


About INFUSE
INFUSE is a free, open community for dietitians and clinicians who want to integrate culinary medicine into practice, build confidence as facilitators, and create sustainable, real-world teaching kitchen programs. Join our community at the link in the comments!