Wellbeing is the Main Course in University Teaching Kitchen
The University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality & Healing has been advancing the health and wellbeing of individuals, organizations, and communities since 1995. It offers interdisciplinary courses, conducts rigorous research, and advances integrative models of care. With no permanent teaching kitchen space, the center collaborates with community organizations to bring its programming to retail spaces, shared community kitchens and schools. This sustainable model allows the center to increase the accessibility of its programs and to maximize their reach.
A major focus at the center is its academic course Food Matters for Health Professionals: Cook Like Your Life Depends On It. This required course includes both didactic and hands-on culinary skills and reaches over 1,000 students from across health disciplines. It is also offered as a continuing education courses for working professionals.
Borrowing from the Lakota tradition, the center calls on Whole Systems Healing—which acknowledges the wholeness and interconnectedness of all living systems—to cultivate health and wellbeing. Its website Taking Charge of Your Health leads visitors to examine six aspects of their wellbeing and attracts over 250,000 visitors each month.
