Healthy soul food recipes, accessible seating and live-streamed classes were among the ideas shared at a community forum for the University of Chicago Medicine’s new “teaching kitchen.”
The teaching kitchen will be part of a wellness-focused space located on the first and second floors of the health system. new $815 million cancer center. Pending approval from the state regulatory board on June 27, the cancer center will be built on East 57th Street, between South Maryland and South Drexel avenues, and will open in 2027.
The kitchen will serve as a classroom for nutrition and healthy eating classes for oncology patients and others who may benefit, including patients’ families, community members, staff and students in medicine.
The kitchen will also be available for community events and gatherings. UChicago Medicine sought public input on its design, as it did throughout the cancer center planning process.
Hospital leaders envision a multifunctional space with attached conference space. The goal is to evoke a warm, residential atmosphere with plenty of natural light. The kitchen will be equipped with cameras so classes can be recorded or streamed live.
Community members, hospital staff and representatives from CannonDesign, the cancer center’s architectural firm, gathered June 9 to review plans for the nutrition center and view photos of teaching kitchens around the world. Participants discussed “What works?” and “What’s not working?” during brainstorming sessions.
Among the suggestions: accessible seating and tables; designated areas for people with food allergies; good ventilation for oncology patients sensitive to food odors; and tables where participants face each other – not the instructor – for a more social experience.
Some cultures would like to learn to eat soul food better. Sometimes the food we learn to cook in these classes may be tasty, but it may not be for us because we don’t know cooking. Or, they might not sell these ingredients in our local grocery stores.
Attendee Dale Cain, executive director of Advocates for Community Wellness Inc. in nearby Auburn Gresham, offered classes with culturally sensitive recipes.
“Some cultures would like to learn how to eat soul food better,” she said. “Sometimes the food we learn to cook in these classes may be tasty, but it may not be for us because we don’t know that cuisine. Or they might not sell these ingredients in our local grocery stores.
Other suggestions from the community included working with local pipeline programs to increase education about nutrition, cooking and even healthcare careers.
Participants agreed that it was important to have everything under one roof, including a pantry, fresh vegetables from the hospital’s rooftop gardens, and/or a place to purchase ingredients, because it Traveling to multiple locations can be difficult for cancer patients.
Since cancer affects the entire family, another idea called for a family- and child-friendly teaching kitchen that would provide a space of support and community for them.
The Rev. Ethel Southern, of the Covenant United Church of Christ in South Holland, proposed a mobile version of the teaching kitchen that could visit patients in Southland. Stops could include UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey.
“This session was awesome,” Southern said. “They listened to us and gave me a lot of ideas that I can take back and discuss with everyone. »
Gastroenterologist UChicago Medicine Edwin K. McDonald IV, MDdoctor and chef who teaches many healthy cooking classes, asked if portable cooktops that convert into grills could be deployed for healthy grilling classes.
He also suggested UChicago Medicine work with local suppliers whenever possible and tap into the expertise of James Beard Award-winning chefs in Hyde Park.
The next step is for UChicago Medicine and CannonDesign to determine what ideas they can incorporate into the project.
“We want to listen to your ideas and collect them. We need to do a lot of work to bring these ideas to fruition and get the resources, funding and people needed to provide these services,” said Marco Capicchioni, vice president of Facilities, Planning, Design and Building Services. of the hospital.
In addition to the teaching kitchen, the cancer center’s wellness area will also include a nondenominational chapel, a retail store where wigs, clothing and cancer-related gifts are sold, and a multipurpose space. The space would be used for various patient and community education activities, such as:
- Patient and caregiver support groups
- Caregiver education
- Smoking cessation Classes
- Stress management education
- Mindful meditation course
- Financial education
- Group exercise and medication classes
- Survival groups
- Art and music therapy
- Logging programs
- Reading Club
