LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville’s Trager Institute has been cooking up a new service to help advance the health of older adults in Kentucky: the Culinary Medicine Kitchen.
The Institute was founded with the goal of transforming the way people think about aging and providing care for older adults, incorporating lifestyle and wellness classes such as art, yoga and Tai Chi.
Anna Faul, executive director of the Trager Institute, said when the building was first built, they were going to use the area as a kitchen for staff.
“We said, 'Wait a minute; we need a demonstration kitchen," Faul said. "Then we talked to the School of Medicine, and I said, 'We don't have any classes that focus on healthy eating.'"
Faul said the Culinary Medicine Kitchen will host physicians, trainees, medical students and others for hands-on demonstrations that will help them guide patients to healthier eating.
“We can now accelerate the work of lifestyle medicine, being healthy, doing exercise, the good stuff that we should all be engaged in," Faul said.
Mary Coomer, who came to the Trager Institute three years ago after multiple joint replacements, said she has been waiting for this moment and can’t wait to start learning new recipes.
“I do love to eat, and I do love to consider food as medicine," Coomer said. "I live in west Louisville; the location is convenient to places where there are food deserts and so forth, so beyond thrilled."
The Culinary Medicine Kitchen includes eight cooking stations, equipped with pots, pans, cooking utensils and a chef station with a follow-along camera.
“We are invested in a healthy community," Faul said. "We want to make Louisville ... downtown Louisville, all of these areas healthy. And that's our way to do this, to try to make it affordable for people to learn how to cook and also going to cook healthy. This is easy stuff that doesn't cost a fortune."
Faul said the Medicine Kitchen will also have a pantry for those experiencing food insecurity, adding she hopes to collaborate with local farmers. The Institute's goal is to raise enough money to make community cooking a free class.
