News & Stories

Leah’s Culinary Journey

September 6, 2024

Leah and her husband Rich are cooking and eating healthier to address her diabetes — and loving it! — thanks to free classes at the Teaching Kitchen

“I would take these classes even if there was a fee!”

Thank you, donors, for making these classes free to all YNHHS patients!

Leah Stancil (photo at right) is clearly not a novice in the kitchen. She’s been cooking for her family for more than 50 years. Yet the ways she shops, cooks, and eats have all been transformed thanks to what she learned in her classes at the YNHHS Teaching Kitchen.

Leah hadn’t heard of the Teaching Kitchen when her dietitian asked if she’d like to take some free cooking classes. She had been seeing a dietitian to help her manage her diabetes and BRACA2 status. (BRACA2 is a gene mutation that increases the risk of cancer.)

Leah thought, “Why not?” She guessed it would be a talk and video, or maybe a cooking demonstration.

“It was completely different from what I expected,” Leah says. “I walked into a kitchen that was right out of the Jetsons, with cooking stations for each student. The chef/dietitian and teacher, Max Goldstein, was incredibly well versed and knowledgeable. It was unbelievable!”

Leah and her husband, Rich, (Max encourages students to bring their partners) attended a series of four classes focused on nutrition, cooking techniques, affordable ingredients, and making healthy meals taste delicious.

Information, practice, fun — and dinner!

At each class, Max shows a short video, reviews some basics, and sets the goals and recipes for the class. “Even if it sounded familiar, it was a great review,” says Leah. “And there was lots that was new to me — how much iron do I need? What kinds of fats? Which grains are healthiest?”

After the video, everyone is assigned to a cooking station, and the students get to work. Max mingles through the class, supervising and making suggestions. Students present their completed dishes, and then line up with plates to share dinner. Soon, says Leah, “Everyone is chatting away. It feels more like a book group than a class!”

Leah and Rich have made significant changes to their diet based on what they learned. “I’ve changed the oils I buy. I’ve expanded our breakfast menu. I’ve made tacos for the first time ever,” she says.  “The most important thing? I am now better equipped to address my needs as a diabetic and someone with the BRACA2 gene.”

Leah and Rich have become true believers in the Teaching Kitchen’s fundamental concept — culinary medicine. “How incredibly overdue to make the connection between better health and what you eat,” says Leah. “I can’t believe there’s a patient in any department that wouldn’t benefit!”

Please enjoy the recipes here, created by chefs Nate and Max for the Teaching Kitchen, as our thank-you to you, our amazing donors!

You can be sure these recipes are easy to make, delicious, and healthy. Great for the body, mind, heart, and soul!