Food is Medicine is no longer a trend.
Let's bring it to life.
Teaching kitchen consulting and Food is Medicine program development for medical schools, healthcare systems, and organizations.
I’m Leah Sarris, MBA, RD, LDN, CCMS — a trained chef, registered dietitian, educator, and founding director of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, the first teaching kitchen integrated into a U.S. medical school. That program became the Health meets Food curriculum, now licensed at more than 60 institutions nationwide and the foundation of the American College of Culinary Medicine.
Whether you’re launching a teaching kitchen, developing a culinary medicine curriculum, or training faculty and clinical staff, I bring the strategic guidance and hands-on support to help you do it right.
Proven Results Across Healthcare, Academia, and Industry
Field Leadership Leah founded the nation’s first medical school teaching kitchen at Tulane University, co-created the Health meets Food curriculum now licensed at 60+ institutions, and helped build the American College of Culinary Medicine into the field’s leading professional organization. Today she serves on the ACCM board and actively trains and onboards new culinary medicine programs at universities nationwide — making her uniquely positioned to help institutions at every stage of startup and growth.
Systems Change Partnered with a national land-grant university to design and implement a multi-year Food is Medicine and lifestyle medicine systems-change curriculum — from strategy through faculty training and full program launch.
Teaching Kitchen Launch Developed the startup curriculum, operations manual, and equipment procurement plan for a university mobile teaching kitchen — turning a concept into a fully operational program ready for launch.
Product Development Supported a national food brand in reformulating a retail product line for cleaner labels and improved nutrition — without sacrificing flavor, affordability, or scalability.
The Moment for Food is Medicine Is Now
Healthcare systems, medical schools, and employers are under growing pressure to integrate culinary medicine and lifestyle medicine into how they train, treat, and support people. The evidence is strong, the demand is real, and the institutions leading the way are building programs now. If your organization is ready to move from intention to action, Culinary Medicine Consulting can help you do it right.
What I Bring to The Table
Culinary Medicine Consulting offers a full range of services to help you design, implement, and grow impactful programs centered around culinary medicine:
Strategic Planning
I help you build a strong foundation and roadmap to success—from vision to execution—including support with grant writing, funding alignment, and long-term sustainability.
Teaching Kitchen Design & Support
From layout and equipment to staffing and operations, we guide you through every step of launching your own teaching kitchen.
Curriculum Development
I create custom, evidence-based courses and educational materials tailored to your audience whether academic, clinical, or community-based.
Staff & Faculty Training
I train healthcare professionals, educators, chefs, and internal teams to confidently deliver culinary medicine programming within their own institution.
Educational Presentations & Trainings
From one-time sessions to multi-part series, I offer engaging, evidence-based education centered around culinary medicine, nutrition, and Food is Medicine topics for a variety of audiences from insurance executives to students and employee wellness groups.
Custom Online Training Programs
I develop flexible, organization-specific digital training programs for businesses, academic institutions, and health systems.
Content Creation
Recipes, toolkits, instructional videos, patient handouts, and more, we develop content that educates, inspires, and supports behavior change.
Product Development & Foodservice Consulting
Drawing on my expertise in culinary nutrition and product development, I support the development of healthy, scalable foodservice offerings for restaurants, institutions, and brands.
Ongoing & Retainer Support
I am available for long-term consulting, coaching, outcomes tracking, and program refinement.