On the 23rd and 24th of March 2023, Professor Sumantra Ray and members of the NNEdPro team from the UK and the United States came together with two key organizations in New York City, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, as well as their community outreach partner at the Brooklyn Culinary Community Center.
On the afternoon of 23rd March, a conceptual workshop comprised detailed presentations on the origins of the Mobile Teaching Kitchen (MTK), its international adaptation, and its potential in the US, particularly in New York City. The workshop was interspersed with presentations by SUNY Downstate Medical Center including their array of existing initiatives in food and nutrition-based community, public health improvement and also Chilis on Wheels, a prominent NGO working in New York around plant-based eating particularly in food insecure communities. Breakout groups from this workshop determined the next steps in terms of those who would be involved in both the preceptorship and training of champions, as well as potential target populations from which to recruit champions within the Brooklyn community.
New York City – Culinary Workshop 24th March 2023
On the afternoon of the 24th of March, a culinary demonstration was conducted within the Brooklyn Culinary Community Center by Veronica Flores Bello who has been leading the Mobile Teaching Kitchen (MTK) initiative in Mexico. This demonstration used a menu with a variety of dishes, spanning an entire day, in a vegan template inspired by the Mexican MTK cookbook which is currently in genesis. These dishes comprised a low glycemic index but high nutrient value and protein rich meals, which are low cost and easy to prepare. Potential champions of the New York MTK undertook “See One, Do One, Teach One” sessions which were highly successful.
We are also delighted to announce that we have recruited a coordinator from within the New York Healthcare Community. Along with culinary individuals, such professionals, and other preceptors, we are expecting to see further training of MTK Champions within New York over the coming months such that we expect two ticketed pop-up culinary events to be conducted by the champions potentially by July 2023, one of which would be targeting the Brooklyn community and would comprise health messaging back into the community, while the other would be targeting an externally facing audience, looking at the potential that the New York MTK might have to become a successful micro-enterprise and also propagating health education to members of the public across socio-economic groups.
Participants:
Collette Boston – In person
Belinda Ruffin– In person
Desiree Jones– In person
Lwonia Rhodes – In person
Verda S. Bataille – In person
Anita Dedmon – In person
Markees Pruitt – In person
Jahanda King – In person
Ruth Cervera – In person
Ediberto Saldana – In person
Ricardo Llerena – In person