HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Huntington’s Kitchen, the outreach community food center of Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) and home of Marshall University’s Department of Dietetics, was unanimously accepted into the prestigious Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC). TKC is a dynamic, action-oriented network of thought-leading organizations with existing and/or planned teaching kitchens that are capable of shaping next-generation strategy and collaborative research on best practices for integrative lifestyle transformation. 

“You must be invited to be a part of this group and then you must go through an application process to be accepted,” said Andrew Vaughan, M.D., M.B.A., a cardiologist at Marshall Health at CHH and an assistant professor in the Department of Cardiology at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “This is a great honor that places Huntington’s Kitchen in a network with prestigious teaching kitchens around the world.”

Huntington’s Kitchen becomes the first TKC member site in West Virginia, joining other well-respected teaching kitchens such as the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Princeton University in New Jersey, Barilla and Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition in Italy and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

“Being a part of this network will allow us, as a medical community, to learn and share best practices with some of the leading organizations dedicated to culinary literacy and integrative lifestyle transformation,” said Vaughan, who is also a certified culinary medicine specialist. “We will enhance our knowledge of providing medical students with a deeper understanding of how food is used to shape health.”

TKC members benefit from virtual work groups and member-only sharing platforms, and serve as catalysts for enhanced personal and public health across medical, corporate, school and community settings.

Dr. Kelli Williams, chair of Marshall’s dietetics department, said the TKC partnership will provide exciting opportunities for students to gain insights and experiences related to community nutrition.

“The Department of Dietetics welcomes the opportunity to be part of this collaborative.  It provides us unique opportunities to explore best practices in community-based kitchens and engage in research activities to strengthen the impact of community nutrition programs throughout the country,” Williams said. “We hope to work with the university’s School of Medicine, Mountain Health Network and the collaborative to explore innovations and ideas for growth and development of Huntington’s Kitchen.  It is a wonderful opportunity and privilege to be recognized for our collaborative efforts and work related to community nutrition.”

“We are excited to be a part of this network,” said Marty Emerson, manager of Huntington’s Kitchen. “Our mission is to help prevent and reduce diet-related disease through education and healthy cooking. This will support our mission and give us resources and best practices to share with the community.”

For more information about Huntington’s Kitchen, please call 304-522-0887. For a full list of TKC members, visit www.tkcollaborative.org.

Media Contacts:
Megan Archer, Assistant Director of Communications, 304-696-3916
Shawn Jordan, Cabell Huntington Hospital, 304-399-6742

Date Posted: Monday, February 17, 2020