January 22, 2018 - Worlds of Healthy Flavors at the Culinary Institute of America

Slow Living Radio welcomes speakers from this year's Worlds of Healthy Flavors held at the Culinary Institute of America.  We are delighted to support the valuable work they do in shaping America's plate, helping us to become a healthier nation, yet never sacrificing the joy of eating and cooking.  Our speakers will bring you details on their work, an industry and consumer perspective.

WORLDS OF HEALTHY FLAVOURS

CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA

Worlds of Healthy Flavors: A Leadership Retreat for Chain Restaurants, Supermarkets, and Volume Foodservice is a groundbreaking educational initiative launched in 2004 by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). This initiative is designed to assist corporate and executive chefs of chain restaurants, supermarkets (foodservice operations), and volume foodservice operations expand options for healthy meal choices within their businesses and on behalf of their customers. Continuing a long-running collaboration, The Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health—Department of Nutrition co-presentED the 14th Annual Worlds of Healthy Flavors Leadership Retreat in January 2018 at The Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa Valley, California.

This by-invitation-only leadership retreat includes 30-35 of America’s most influential corporate chefs and other foodservice leaders, together with top nutrition scientists, world cuisine experts, and consumer and trade media. This program comes at a pivotal time for American foodservice. American menus are being fundamentally reshaped by an accelerating interest in world culinary traditions from Latin America to Asia and the Mediterranean, as Americans find themselves drawn to bolder, more assertive flavors from a broad range of cultures. Chefs and operators have never had a wider range of ingredients, flavors and flavor dynamics, recipes, and menu concepts from which to choose. As exciting as this unprecedented range of flavors is, most culinary professionals know that they are just in the early stages of understanding what these flavors represent, and how best to take advantage of them in their operations. At the same time, on the scientific front, leading experts in nutrition research continue to refine our understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet, and healthy menu choices. And yet—as evidenced by unacceptably high rates of diet-related chronic diseases, from obesity and type 2 diabetes to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia—many Americans clearly find it a challenge to actually make healthy meal choices.

Read more about the program and speakers here: http://www.ciaprochef.com/wohf/

SOPHIE EGAN, MPH

Director of Health and Sustainability Leadership

Culinary Institute of America

Sophie Egan is director of health and sustainability leadership as well as the editorial director for strategic initiatives at The Culinary Institute of America. In this role, she oversees a portfolio of a dozen initiatives, which includes: co-leading projects for a number of key partnerships such as those with Google and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; directing programming for four annual conferences; and serving as co director of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a joint initiative with Stanford University. Sophie is a contributor to The New York Times’ Well blog, and she has written about food and health for The Washington Post, Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Kitchn, Bon Appétit, WIRED, and Sunset magazine, where she worked on The Sunset Cookbook and The One-Block Feast book. Sophie has also worked as a communications consultant for clients including eBay Foundation, Health Career Connection, and The Vitality Institute on its Food@Work initiative. She holds a master of public health, with a focus on health and social behavior, from University of California, Berkeley, where she was a Center for Health Leadership fellow. She also holds a bachelor of arts with honors in history from Stanford University. Sophie is the author of the book, Devoured: How What We Eat Defines Who We Are (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2016). In 2016, she was named one of the UC Global Food Initiative’s 30 Under 30. (San Francisco, CA) @SophieEganM

PAMELA SMITH, R.D.N,

Pam Smith is a nutritionist and industry culinary consultant serves as Co-Chair of The Culinary Institute of America’s Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative. She provides strategic menu innovation and insight for clients such as Disney, Aramark Business Dining and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and is the co-creator of Darden Restaurant’s Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.

Her Wholesome Spice blends -- P.S. Flavor!™ -- are helping to serve up Delicious Wellness one plate at a time at top restaurants and home kitchens across America.  Pam has hosted all 22 years of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival -- now a 75-day event and has authored 15 books including her best-selling Eat well—Live Well, The Energy Edge, Diet Trap and When your Hormones Go Haywire and her daily radio spot Living Well is heard on over 800 stations nationwide. As founding principle of Shaping America’s Plate and its Healthy Restaurant Initiative “F.I.T. City”, Pam works to increase communities’ offerings of fresh, innovative and tasty menu options that are nutritious and delicious. pam@pamsmith.com

Marie Molde, RD

Client Solutions Datassential

With a strong background in both dietetics and business - she holds a combined MBA/RD from Dominican University - Marie brings a unique culinary perspective to Datassential, a leading Chicago-based food market research firm. Restaurant chains and suppliers regularly rely on Marie’s expertise in menu and product development, and for over seven years she has helped foodservice and retail companies excel in better-for- you product innovation. Marie currently represents Datassential on the Menus of Change Sustainable Business Leadership Council working to establish plant-forward dining as one of the main areas of focus for culinary innovation in the restaurant industry. Using her expertise as a registered dietitian, Marie gives clients of all shapes and sizes an unparalleled health-driven point of view.