The first annual Summer Climate Kitchen Research Institute was held from June 3-August 15, 2024. Three interdisciplinary teams (including faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as in one case, community members), worked in the Foods Lab on inquiry-based projects. The Climate Kitchen team supported these projects throughout the summer. These projects had an (unexpectedly) shared theme: the potential and sensory characteristics of three alternative protein sources - mung beans, meal worms, and cellular meat. This work led to a submission of a USDA Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research grant for further research on mealworm flour and product development, one of the projects hosted by the Climate Kitchen Research Institute.

This summer we are excited to have two of our teams from the first year rejoin us, along with two new teams. The projects this year will focus on mung beans, meal worms, buckwheat, and edible forests. 

The Climate Kitchen Summer Institute is funded by the Food Systems Research Center.

The Climate Kitchen sponsors courses at the undergraduate and graduate level that teach students necessary skills and concepts – in kitchens and beyond - that can address individual and planetary health. 

The Climate Kitchen courses integrate the sustainability tenets of the Climate Kitchen throughout the curriculum: plant forward, integrating tastes and habits, low waste, whole food utilization and regional/local sourcing. The undergraduate course, Foods for Planetary Health, combines in-person lectures and labs and is offered by the Nutrition and Food Sciences department. The graduate course, Cooking for Individual and Planetary Health, is an all-online course.

The Climate Kitchen, in collaboration with the Culinary Medicine program at UVM Medical Center and the Osher Center for Integrative Health, has developed learning modules that explore key concepts for future professionals in nutrition and health science that will be used across University of Vermont and University of Vermont Medical Center. 

The Climate Kitchen hosts workshops, training, and cooking classes in collaboration with our partners. These events utilize inquiry-based learning to guide participants through the practical application of the Climate Kitchen tenets in the kitchen through hands-on cooking and activities. Some past examples include:

• Design Thinking workshop with Felipe Massa (Grossman School of Business, UVM)
• John Dewey’s Kitchen workshop with Lisa Heldke (Gustavus Adolphus College)
• Baking with Whole Grains workshop with King Arthur Baking
• Mindfulness in the Kitchen for UVM Go and CNHS courses
• Farm to Kitchen for UVM Go and 4-H in partnership with the Association of Africans Living in Vermont

Each summer, the Climate Kitchen holds an introductory workshop for the current Summer Research Institute cohort, introducing researchers to the principles of Climate Kitchen. This workshop covers Design Thinking and Dewey model principles, as well as opportunities for participants to apply these approaches through hands-on cooking activities. They are also introduced to the basics of sensory analysis. The research teams also present their projects to the group and the Climate Kitchen team for feedback.

If you are interested in learning more about workshop and training opportunities, please reach out to Emily Barbour (ebarbour@uvm.edu).