Teaching Kitchen Preps Families for a Feast

Dr. Andrew Bremer and the NIH Office of Nutrition Research team up with The Inn for a unique quarterly activity

As families across the United States prepare to fill their tables with delicious food for Thanksgiving dinner, the families at The Children’s Inn at NIH are also getting into the spirit. Through a new program called the Teaching Kitchen, they are getting the opportunity to learn how to make simple, healthy meals that put new twists on classic tastes.

Dr. Andrew Bremer, Director of the NIH Office of Nutrition Research, was joined by his Office’s dietitians, the leader of Happily Hungry, and the Executive Chef of Food & Friends, a community-based organization that provides home-delivered medically-tailored meals, groceries, and nutrition therapy to local families living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other serious illnesses. Together, they welcomed Inn families into the E kitchen, where they had several recipes and ingredients prepared for participants to put together.

“The team from the Office of Nutrition Research and our partners couldn’t have been more thrilled at our inaugural Teaching Kitchen event at The Children’s Inn,” reflected Dr. Bremer. “Our goal with the Teaching Kitchen program is to support parents and children staying at The Inn and not only teach them life-long culinary skills, but also that cooking healthy, nutritious, and tasty meals can be fun and exciting! A good time was had by all.”

The recipes varied in complexity, with younger chefs able to put together simple snacks like an Almond Butter and Banana Roll-Up and Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas, while some of the teenagers and young adults who gathered made Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins and Hidden Veggie Hamburgers.

“The Teaching Kitchen is something we have been working on for a long time, and we are thrilled that the first time went so well,” said The Inn’s Family Program Operations Manager Kristin Arabian. “Our families were really excited to take part, and we are looking forward to seeing this program grow.”

After the cooking was finished, Dr. Bremer and the Teaching Kitchen team joined the families from The Inn to share a five-course meal. During the dinner, they discussed their thoughts on the food prepared and their willingness to incorporate these types of healthy dishes into their future meals and snacks.

Dr. Bremer and the Office of Nutrition Research will be back quarterly to continue the program with families at The Inn. There will be new recipes and new chefs-in-training in the kitchen, but the goal of bringing healthy and simple food options to the young residents at The Children’s Inn will remain the same each time the Teaching Kitchen is open.

Dr. Bremer talks to families about the recipes they will be preparing