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!

A Better Reason to Make Healthy Choices

Why You Should Cut Yourself Some Slack   

By Rachel Pulley

When you think of nutrition, what comes to mind? Often when I talk to patients or tell people what I do, I hear some variation of the response “Oh, I could stand to lose some weight” or “Yea, I eat terribly, I should probably do better.” When you think about it, that’s kind of a defensive responsive, isn’t it? For starters, I never asked these people about their diet or their weight or how much protein they’re eating or whether or not they’re drinking almond milk. But I also find it interesting that the programmed response to hearing that someone is passionate about nutrition is that the listener is somehow subpar. A quick browse through a health and fitness website will undoubtedly turn up phrases like “moderation”, “self-restraint”, and “motivation”. Not that there’s anything wrong with these words. They are good things that yield good results. But that puts a lot of pressure on the individual, doesn’t it? “Make sure you do x, y, z so you can stay motivated” or so you don’t miss a workout or slack and eat junk food. If you don’t, you have failed yourself and only have you to blame. That’s some serious stress.

What if we just made a small change to perspective? What if we weren’t eating well just to live longer or look good in a swimsuit? What if we were doing it for a more immediate, much more relevant reason – ourselves? Health and wellness doesn’t come down to just one thing. Your physical, mental, and emotional health are all equally important. Giving yourself a hard time because you’re not at the weight you want or you don’t eat the way you should means that you’re ignoring some key parts of health. We don’t get sick just because we’re not eating right and we don’t gain weight just because we haven’t had enough vegetables lately. But we can get sick and gain weight if we don’t do those things. There are plenty of pieces to the wellness puzzle. The important thing to focus on is why we even care about wellness at all. Hopefully your reason is you. You value yourself, you value your happiness, and you want to live a fulfilling life.

Which brings me back to food. One of my favorite (ha) questions I get when I start talking about my love for pizza or a certain taco-serving fast food restaurant is “Aren’t you studying nutrition? Should you really be eating that?” The answer is a big, fat, emphatic “yes”. Eating should be fun. Food should be enjoyable. No one should be miserable or feel deprived while trying to get to (or maintain) a healthy weight. Instead, I encourage you to think about what the food you’re eating does for you right now, in this moment. Sometimes eating tacos makes me happy. But on the other hand, I feel better if I eat oatmeal for breakfast rather than a donut. That feeling is important. The reason why you do or do not eat something is important, and it plays a big role in whether or not you’re able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Don’t eat the oatmeal because you’re trying to fit into an old pair of jeans that, frankly, are out of style anyway. Eat it because you value yourself as a person and you want to feel good.

Healthy eating is not a punishment. Healthy eating is not a restriction from all things you enjoy. Healthy eating is showing yourself love. It’s caring for the beautiful gift that is your body and giving it the respect it deserves. Healthy eating is not salads all day every day. Healthy eating is also having a chocolate chip cookie because HAVE YOU TRIED COOKIES? They’re great.

The point I’m trying to make is that health is a balance. Fill yourself full of fuel that allows you to live a vibrant and happy life. Sometimes that’s a giant bowl of mac and cheese followed by a nap. But eating giant bowls of mac and cheese all day every day can make you feel tired and lethargic, and that’s not showing yourself love either. Make healthy choices because you deserve to be healthy and feel good. Be lenient on yourself because you are human and enjoy food just like everyone else.

This applies in every aspect of life, not just nutrition. Exercise, sleep, and relax because those are things that are good for you and you want to treat yourself well. Have a lazy day where you never change out of your pajamas and stay up until 3 a.m. watching cat videos because you feel like it. Balance your life in a way that allows you to stay well while enjoying the indulgences you love. You’re a pretty neat person, you deserve it.

Rachel is a dietetic intern at Saint Louis University specializing in medical nutrition therapy. She is currently working on earning her Master of Science while still spending as much time as possible with her puppy. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys running, yoga, and exploring the city. Contact Rachel at pulleyra@slu.edu. 

The Epic SLU Food Fight

By Britney Fiandra

Billiken Background

On the chilly night of Friday, November 18^th tucked away in the hilly, woody terrain of Wildwood, Missouri there was a cooking competition worthy of Food Network fame occurring among 13 inventive Saint Louis University students. The 13 students are members of The Billiken Teacher Corps, whom are individuals completing graduate coursework while simultaneously working as volunteer teachers in Catholic schools around the St. Louis metro area. As part of an organized weekend retreat, Friday was designated as a food-focused day. 

Culinary Battle Begins

The morning began with the group splitting up into teams of four to participate in a food scavenger hunt at Soulard Market. Teams were presented with the task to retrieve the list of produce and pantry staples to be used for the cooking competition. As darkness fell, a Chef host arrived to the Wildwood retreat location to begin the culinary fun. With the four groups gathered around the main kitchen table, the Chef announced the competition would be to create an innovative, tasty pasta entrée. The rules were to utilize at least two vegetables and one fresh herb. A series of games were set up in order to disperse ingredients in an organized fashion. To begin with, the groups were faced with the challenge of identifying herbs and spices using their sense of touch, taste, and smell. Equipped with paper and pens, the groups recorded their best guesses for the five herbs and spices including basil, oregano, parsley, dill, and cayenne. The winner of the first round had priority selection on pasta shape and a selection of meat. Next, the groups were faced with a blind taste test with the challenge listing five ingredients in a spinach-kale dip. Winners of this competition had priority in selecting which cheese to use with options ranging from smoked gouda, ricotta, parmesan, and brie. Finally, small trivia questions were asked to determine group order for produce selection. Armed with an arsenal of pasta, cheese, meat, and fresh produce, the student teachers began flexing their competitive chef muscles, eager to create culinary masterpieces. 

  

The Heat Rises

With the ring of the bell, the groups sprinted around the kitchen to gather cooking equipment and tools. Sights around the culinary arena included whisks whipping, wooden spoons twirling, and chef knifes rocking along wooden cutting boards. Sounds included sauté pans sizzling, sheet pans clanging, and pasta water splashing. Aromas included smells of garlic roasting, onions caramelizing, beef sautéing, and herbaceous sauces reducing. After 90 minutes of the heated pasta battle, all cook soldiers made it out of the battlefield injury free, minus one reported trivial burn incident. 

Delicious Demise

By the end of the showdown, all groups presented with pasta entrees certain to be Gordan Ramsey approved. Provided with such noteworthy culinary creations from each group, selecting a winning team was a challenging task. Overall, one team shined brighter than the rest with their tenderly cooked penne pasta, dowsed in a succulent brie sauce, sprinkled with a colorful medley of bell peppers, tomatoes, and spinach, scented with flavorful notes of fresh basil and sautéed garlic. This team, with the title “The Last Souper”, earned the first place bragging rights accompanied with a satisfying bottle of red wine as a prize. 

Carbohydrate Loaded Conclusions

By the end of the competition, the group of confident teachers had their own dose of reality of feeling what it’s like to be an apprehensive student with a blank slate. Thrown out of their comfort zone based on a traditional classroom environment and into the fire filled kitchen, the group demonstrated superior team work through collaboration and execution of the final entrees. All in all, this culinary adventure acted as a bridge to help all of The Billiken Teacher Corps members bond and develop professionally in the most delicious manner. 

Wheat Winners of Wine