Putting the “Cool” in Culinary Entrepreneurship

Facts You May Not Know About SLU’s Unique DI Program

By Katie LaPlace

There are hundreds of dietetic internships available, ranging in length, opportunity for graduate education, and program emphasis.  SLU offers four emphases: medical nutrition therapy, pediatrics, nutrition and physical performance, and culinary entrepreneurship.  For many applicants, choosing the type of program to apply to is one of the hardest decisions, but for me, choosing SLU’s culinary entrepreneurship program was the only choice!  I remember speaking with the internship director and then current interns six years ago at FNCE, and knew from that moment that this was the program for me.  One requirement of SLU’s culinary entrepreneurship program that varies from other programs is in addition to having a bachelor’s in nutrition, applicants also have to earn at least an associate degree in culinary arts.  This meant that I was unable to apply for internships during my senior year, but the experiences I was fortunate to be a part of during that time helped shape me to be the intern I am today.  During the three years in between undergrad and the internship, I worked at Disney World, attended culinary school, worked at the Master’s golf tournament, and volunteered with Cooking Matters as well as at a local fitness club.  I utilized foodservice guidelines daily and developed top notch customer service skills at Disney; gained time management, organization, and confidence in culinary school; and practiced providing nutrition education to people of all ages when volunteering.  Some of these experiences may not have been nutrition focused, but I was able to apply what I learned in undergrad to make each opportunity the best it could be! 

Two of my fellow cast members and I working one of our final shifts during our Disney College Program.  We worked on Main Street and part of my job was to make the Mickey shaped confections :)

“OK Katie, so we’ve heard about your story and how you made it to SLU, but I want to hear more about the program.  What makes SLU’s culinary entrepreneurship program so great?”  You know, I was hoping you would ask that question!  As an internship class, we attend nutrition classes and Monday sessions together, but there are also opportunities that only interns in each emphasis gets to take part in.  Below are some of the unique opportunities that the culinary interns participate in.

1. Culinary and Entrepreneurship classes:

As part of our curriculum, we are able to enroll in classes specific to our emphasis.  This past semester, the culinary interns took two business classes: New Venture Initiation and Managerial Accounting.  In these classes, we were able to develop a product or service and determine if it is feasible in your target market, and learned basic accounting principles and how to apply those principles in our future careers.  Next semester, we get to take Advanced Business Planning and will develop a business plan from start to finish.  We also have the opportunity to take Sustainable Food Systems, Edible Wild Foods, and Food Processing during the summer semester.  These classes will be incredibly beneficial for us in our careers, no matter what area of dietetics we work in!

2. Culinary focused rotations:

Because we have previous culinary experience, the culinary interns get the opportunity to apply our knowledge in our rotations.  In the past few months, I have applied my culinary knowledge in many different rotations, from foodservice to clinical.  During my production rotation, I was assigned to work with a RD who oversees food production for five local schools participating in the National School Lunch Program.  I absolutely loved this rotation because almost all food was made entirely from scratch, and I was able to assist in production as well as develop recipes for future lunches!  In my GI rotation, I was able to prepare a recipe for spinach dip using Ensure Enlive, and have the RDs at the hospital complete a sensory evaluation.  Another unique rotation the culinary interns take part in is working at Fresh Gatherings Café.  Fresh Gatherings (FG) is a heavily student-run breakfast and lunch spot located in our building, and we are given the culinary freedom to create meals to serve each day.  FG also supports many local farms and utilizes much of the produce from our own garden!

Chef Dan, who is my preceptor at FG, and I posing with our local broccoli bouquets.

3. Entrepreneurship events and competitions:

Another unique experience that culinary entrepreneurship interns and graduate students are able to take advantage of are the entrepreneurship events and competitions, put on by SLU’s Center for Entrepreneurship.  The events this group develops for students allows us to use the techniques and skills learned in class and apply them in real world business settings.  Two of the competitions that have been held this semester were the Idea Generator challenge and Elevator Pitch challenge.  These competitions are held at well-known places in the St. Louis area, such as the Ferris wheel at the City Museum, and professional entrepreneurs are brought in to judge the competitions.  One of SLU’s culinary graduate students placed third overall in the Idea Generator challenge!  Another event that we were able to take part in was the Lego Car challenge put on by SLU’s Entrepreneurship Club.  Team Doisy College, or should I say Disney’d for Speed, took on teams from other colleges on campus and won the race as well as the prestigious lego trophy!

Fellow interns/graduate students Joseph Nilges, Ashley Moyna, Allison Scherer, and I with our winning lego racecar from the Lego Car challenge.  YAY Team Disney’d for Speed!

“WOW Katie!!  SLU’s culinary entrepreneurship program is incredible; I can see why you are so excited about it!”  All of SLU’s programs are great in their own way, but I’d have to say that the culinary entrepreneurship program is the most unique program offered.  Each day, I am thankful to be a part of this internship and to work alongside my amazing fellow interns, faculty, and preceptors.  I hope that I have inspired you to check and see what SLU has to offer, and to find an internship program that you are passionate about.  Thanks for reading!