CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA INTRODUCES FOOD IS LIFE, FOOD IS HEALTH SUMMIT

HYDE PARK, N.Y., May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ --  Earlier this month, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), in collaboration with Stanford Medicine, held the inaugural Food is Life, Food is Health summit at the CIA at Copia in Napa, CA. The first-of-its-kind conference, presented in collaboration with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health—Department of Nutrition, brought medical professionals and healthcare leaders together with chefs and food service operators for educational sessions, experiential learning, tastings and culinary demonstrations, and more. Among the nearly 400 attendees were chefs from the healthcare and wellness sectors—including hospital foodservice and teaching kitchens—as well as chefs working in sports medicine and performance nutrition, university and corporate dining, K-12 school nutrition, and senior living communities.

The conference is rooted in the idea that whether coaching patients about lifelong, healthier food choices, developing a food regimen for individuals with chronic illness, designing meals for professional athletes or helping older adults optimize later years for their grandchildren, lasting behavior change comes only when healthy food is convenient, affordable, and—most importantly—delicious. CIA President Michiel Bakker kicked off the conference with an empowering call-to-action:

"My ask of all of you in this room is three-fold: first, that you centralize your patients and guests by considering the conditions around how they eat. What are the practical levers for change? Is it making healthier items more accessible? Making them more affordable? Making them more delicious? Or, maybe, it's all three," said Bakker. "Next, I implore to you collaborate in creating a "food is health" system—working together across disciplines to address what is broken and build forward. And finally, ask yourselves: how can we unlock the power of food to drive personal vitality? By doing this, and by working together, this community of medical professionals and chefs has the power to unlock better personal and planetary health."

Summit presenters included acclaimed chefs, nutrition scientists, medical doctors, public health and policy experts, registered dietitian nutritionists, and researchers, including Sara Bleich, PhD, professor of public policy at Harvard University; culinary scientist Ali Bouzari, PhD; Fabrice DeClerck, PhD, chief science officer, EAT Foundation; David Eisenberg, MD, director of culinary nutrition and adjunct associate professor of nutrition at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; registered dietitian nutritionists Maya Feller, Breana Killeen, and Sapna Punjabi; CIA grad and two-time Top Chef finalist Gregory Gourdet; Lloyd Minor, MD, dean, Stanford School of Medicine and vice president for Medical Affairs at Stanford University; CIA chef-instructors Tom Wong and Sofia Sada; and many other experts in the field of food is medicine.

"During a critical time when our health and food systems are under unprecedented strain, Food is Life, Food is Health represents the future of health care by bringing together chefs, clinicians, and sustainability experts," said Christopher Gardner, PhD, conference planning committee co-chair. "By aligning evidence-based research, culinary skill development, and sustainable food systems, food can become one of our most powerful tools for advancing both human and environmental health." Gardner is also the Rehnborg Farquhar professor of medicine at Stanford Medicine.

Next year's conference will take place May 5-7, 2027. For more information or to join the mailing list to be notified when registration for the 2027 conference opens, visit www.foodislifefoodishealth.org.

About The Culinary Institute of America
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is dedicated to developing leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. The independent, not-for-profit CIA offers associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts; bachelor's degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking & pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies; and master's degrees in culinary arts, culinary therapeutics, food business, sustainable food systems, and wine and beverage management. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services are a valuable resource to industry professionals, and its worldwide network of nearly 60,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore. For more information, visit www.ciachef.edu.

SOURCE The Culinary Institute of America