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Interview with a Culinary Dietitian

AMANDA SAUCEDA MS, RDN, CLT

CHAIR

For my chair letter, I had the pleasure of interviewing Chef Abbie Gellman about her experience pursuing culinary arts along with combining those skills with being a dietitian.

Q: What was the process of pursuing culinary arts like? School, training, etc�

A: I am a career changer who was working in corporate America with an interest in food and nutrition and decided to pursue culinary school instead of a MBA� It is easy to apply and get accepted to culinary school but the program itself is very intense� My culinary program was part-time and a year long� A typical day in the program was cooking during the day and then going home and cooking more to practice� During that time I was also working in food-service restaurants in both the front and back of the house�

There are supplies that you’ll need to purchase like knives, clothes, etc� In fact, I had to learn how to use a 14-inch

chef’s knife. If you can use that properly, then anything else will be easier.

Q: What inspired you to do culinary arts? Was culinary arts before or after becoming a dietitian?

A: Culinary arts did come before nutrition but the interest was always there� I had to take a cooking and food science class in college and knew there had to be a way to cook that didn’t involve tons of butter and cream� When I got pregnant, I was working on Wall Street and decided to go back to school to become a dietitian� In grad school, I realized that I was the only one who had a culinary background� I did a clinicalfocused internship to see if I liked clinical and it confirmed that culinary nutrition was going to be my path� Q: Can you describe how you use your culinary arts background as a dietitian?

A: I’ve worked with a restaurant and culinary consulting group, partnered with a chef at a behavioral center to help revamp recipes and menus, and worked as a private chef specializing in helping people with different health conditions� Creating nutrition and cooking videos has been a large part of what I do as well and that has led to paid opportunities with a variety of brands and commodity boards� Speaking is another aspect and it was after speaking at FNCE® in 2018 that I have also branched into teaching dietitians culinary skills�

Q: What would be the time and financial commitment to pursue culinary arts?

A: This can range depending on the program and path� The cost can be anywhere from $18,000-$40,000 and will usually also require working in a restaurant for a couple months for free as part of an externship�

Every dietitian needs a base in cooking skills�

Q: Cooking demos: What is your best quick tip for doing a live cooking demo via Zoom?

A: Have everything prepped ahead of time in glass bowls� Know your recipe; you can’t read off a sheet of paper� You need to be able to have a conversation and be personable while being able to cook� If you’re not comfortable enough with the cooking part of it, you won’t be able to deliver a good demo because you’re going to be watching yourself prep the food, read the recipe, etc�

Q: What is one culinary skill that you have that makes you feel like a boss?

A: I can cook a steak perfectly every time to whatever temp you want and don’t need a thermometer�

Amanda Sauceda, MS, RDN, CLT, loves pizza� She has a running list of her favorite places and places that she wants to try � Her number-one pizza place used to be a luggage room in the golden days of Hollywood and has a fermented sourdough crust that is to die for�

Chef Abbie Gellman, MS, RD, CDN, is a spokesperson, recipe and product developer, educator, and nationally recognized culinary nutrition expert� She creates, produces and hosts cooking and nutrition videos and works with a wide variety of food brands, commodity boards, foodservice operators, health professionals and private clients� She appears in local and regional broadcast media and contributes to many publications as both an expert and an author�

Q: Why should a dietitian look into adding culinary arts to her/his resume?

A: Every dietitian needs a base in cooking skills� We have to be able to cook food based on recommendations� The sky’s the limit here - every RD can use culinary skills many different ways� In private practice, culinary arts can help you teach your clients cooking skills� It’s a practical way to put medical nutrition advice into action� As a retail

or corporate RD, you’ll do a lot of

cooking demos. These skills support your recommendations, and the expertise can help you make more money because you are able to get better results for your clients and/or a variety of work�

Self-Care: Allow Yourself Time to be a Newbie

KRISTI COUGHLIN

MS, RDN

INCOMING DIRECTOR OF MEETINGS

Being an entrepreneur means we are constantly learning� While we recognize the value and importance of continued learning, we often forget to allow ourselves time to be a newbie�

Overlooking the need for extra time to adapt to new skills is easy to do, especially when we are operating on a limited timeline� However, we can embrace the need to slow down, as well as missteps in the learning process�

Recently, a phrase that has personally plagued me while learning is “a jack of all trades is a master of none�” This adage has caused me to feel as though I was failing because there’s a constant need to learn new skills as an entrepreneur�

Until recently, I had not known the original phrase was actually a little different� It went like this, “Jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one�”

That said, next time you start to get upset with yourself that you are doing too many things — and not perfecting the art of one thing — remember it means you are more proficient in a wider variety of skills� This can actually be better than being a master of one� So, keep learning those new skills!

Here are some things to remember next time you are a newbie:

MAKE PEACE WITH FAILURE

You may find yourself cringing at the idea of failing� However, failure is actually a part of the process in building and growing a business� Instead of thinking of it as a setback, consider failure as a stepping stone in the direction of growth� When you learn from your mistakes, you build a stronger foundation� Inevitably, you will fail when learning new skills — in life and as an entrepreneur� This makes you an all-around better person and business owner� The sooner you make peace with failure, the better�

The sooner you make peace with failure, the better�

TAKE BREAKS

You may find as you learn that there are points in which you hit a wall� Perhaps that wall is a concept you are having difficulty understanding or grasping� Or, you simply cannot process any more new information� It is absolutely normal to hit a point where you feel as though you don’t get it, can’t do it, or you feel defeated� This does not mean it is time to throw in the towel; instead it is probably just a signal to take a break� Allow yourself some time — a day, a week, or two? — before picking up where you left off� When you get back to it, remember to be gentle with yourself as you learn�

EMBRACE MESSY ACTION

Have you ever found yourself paralyzed by all the things that need to happen when learning something new? All the moving parts can make it difficult to wrap your mind around what needs to happen first� If you are a “planner” like me, you may prefer to have everything figured out before starting�

However, in most cases, the desire to have all your ducks in a row first is not helpful� This is where the concept of “messy action” can be the antidote to your problems� By taking messy action, you allow yourself the space to practice and make mistakes� In other words, it reminds you to step away from doing something “perfectly” and to just get it done� If you struggle with the concept of messy action, consider this quote by Jon Acuff: “The less that people [aim] for perfect, the more productive they become.” Those are some wise words!

All in all: welcome failure, take breaks and embrace messy action� Learning is a process that takes time and energy� No one starts as a master when learning a new skill� Allow yourself time to be a newbie.

Kristi Coughlin, MS, RDN, loves spreading happiness with her business Bring About Happy by creating uplifting products inspired by former private practice clients� In her spare time, she can be found with her family by the lake, traveling, or enjoying her favorite food - pizza!

Six Tips to Master Networking Opportunities at Virtual Conferences and Events

ALLISON KOCH

MS, RD, CSSD, LDN

DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES

One of my favorite parts of attending FNCE® is the networking� I have started some of my closest professional relationships at FNCE® - relationships that have led to mentorship, career growth, professional development, leadership opportunities and lifelong friendships� There is no denying that there is something about an in-person interaction that can’t be replaced� So what do you do when conferences have all gone virtual? How do you stand out when you are stuck behind a screen? Here are some networking tips to make the most of your next virtual conference or event�

1 Determine your networking goal and have a plan. Just like anything, you’ll have more success if you go into it with a plan� What do you hope to get out of your networking efforts? Perhaps you are looking for a job or a business opportunity�

Or maybe you need some career advice or a mentor� Whatever your intentions are, establish them in advance to help direct who and how you engage with others�

2 Create a great attendee profile.

It allows you to showcase your unique qualities and experience as well as help you stand out from the crowd� Be sure to complete all the essential information and highlight your interests, skills and expertise� If able, link to your social media accounts so people can quickly connect and engage with you outside of the event�

3 Don’t be afraid to use the chat

feature and participate in

discussions. The chat box has become the new conference hallway� Introduce yourself to the attendees including who you are, what you do, where you are located and what you are hoping to learn from the presentation� 4 Utilize social media platforms to

make deeper social connections.

Find, connect with and start having deeper conversations with those contacts you meet on your preferred social media platform - be it Twitter, Instagram,

Facebook or LinkedIn� Be authentic with the comments you make� Before engaging with someone, think about what you want to say and what value it may provide on the topic being discussed� Or, provide your unique perspective� Demonstrate that you have taken time to really learn from the conversation�

5 Go beyond social media. Maybe there’s one or two contacts you really connect with� Perhaps they align with your professional goals, have a career you aspire to, or were particularly inspiring� Consider taking your relationship to the next level by asking if they might be interested in having a virtual coffee�

I know this can be intimidating - but

I promise you, during these times of limited face-to-face interaction, it feels good when someone reaches out to learn more about you and genuinely connect�

6 Follow up and stay in touch! This is probably the hardest for me to do after a conference� We get back into our routine, oftentimes forgetting much of what we just learned and losing touch with the other attendees� This is where having a plan comes in handy�

Add following up with your new contacts to your master to-do list and actually do it! Remember - people are busy� If you haven’t heard back from someone within a week, follow up politely to check in�

Also remember networking is a twoway street� You don’t want to always be asking for things from your new connection without also offering something in return� Acknowledge important milestones and support her/him as that person does for you� If someone does connect with you offline, be sure to send the person a thank-you note� Email is great - but consider a handwritten message sent via snail mail� Trust me; this will not go unnoticed!

The chat box has become the

new conference hallway �

Whether you love it or hate it, networking is a lifelong activity� The connections you make - even those made virtually - may open doors to lifelong friendships and career opportunities� I look forward to seeing you all at a future virtual event and connecting with you!

Allison Koch, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, The Running Dietitian, is (unsurprisingly) passionate about running� It wasn't always that way � In elementary school, Allison came dead last in PE� Her father, a runner, encouraged her to keep trying� By her senior year of high school, she was lapping her classmates� Inspired by her father, today Allison helps coach and pace runners as well as continues to race all over the world�