Recipes for success
Ohio Wesleyan Seniors teach community about healthy, affordable cooking
From Cole Hatcher
Lauren Mussenden (left) and Leigh Stavar from Ohio in Wesleyan enjoy the vegetarian teriyaki burgers they make in one of their Foodie Friday videos. Both are doing internships on the Cooking Matters program, which teaches people how to prepare healthy meals on a budget.
Name: Lauren Mussenden ’22
Hometown: Delaware, Ohio
Significant: Health and human kinetics with a focus on health promotion
Minors: Psychology and nutrition
Name: Leigh Stavar ’22
Hometown: Perry, Ohio
Main subjects: Pre-medicine, nutrition
Irrelevant: English
OWU connection experience: Mussenden and Stavar are doing a summer internship as part of Cooking Matters’ Community Education Program, led by Elizabeth Nix, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Nutrition, and Christopher Fink, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Health and Human Kinetics (HHK) .
“Along with samples, tips, demos, and recipes at the Main Street Delaware Farmers Market and face-to-face classes in Delaware County,” said Fink of Mussenden and Stavar, “they are producing weekly videos called ‘Foodie Fridays’ across the OWU Nutrition TikTok -, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook platforms. … The recipes and tips should provide ideas for healthy eating on a budget, as well as cooking skills to support these ideas. “
knowledge gained
Must send: “In autumn 2019 I took a HHK course with Dr. Fink visited. In this course we learned how to plan health programs and coach people in public health. This summer I see the importance of understanding how to plan and teach people in this field.
“I was also able to use content I learned in my psychology class to teach and change behaviors. For example, when teaching a cooking class, it’s important to teach in a way that makes sense to those who may not know much about cooking and health in general.
“Another thing that I found very valuable in this internship is the scholarship writing process. Cooking Matters is part of the Delaware County’s Hunger Alliance. Dr. Fink contacted me at the beginning of the semester and asked if I would like to attend the meeting. He thought it would make sense for me to watch and experience the scholarship writing process. I hope to be part of the scholarship writing process next spring and gain knowledge that will benefit my future career. “
Spells: “As a child, I spent a lot of time in and outside of doctors’ offices. For this reason, health is very important to me. After I started learning about nutrition, I became interested in the role our diet plays in being healthy and happy.
“Cooking Matters gives me the opportunity to learn from my professors, my colleagues, and my community members how to put more nutrient-rich and nutrient-rich foods into your diet in a practical way. It made me realize how much more complicated our nutritional system really is and how nuanced the diet is than people imagine. “
Favorite moments
Must end: “DR. Fink and Dr. Nix have given me the freedom to really do anything – with their permission, of course. I really enjoyed planning summer courses, creating TikToks and exchanging ideas with Leigh. I say Leigh again and again how much I love this opportunity. This is really a job that doesn’t feel like a job. “
Spells: “I really enjoyed how much I can cook weekly with this internship. I keep finding new recipes and trying them out. … My favorite recipe so far has been the vegetarian teriyaki burgers Lauren and I made for a Foodie Friday video. They were absolutely delicious and as a vegetarian I am always looking for new ways to prepare veggie burgers. “
The power of mentorship
Must end: “DR. Fink has helped me succeed in many ways. He has given me the opportunity to be a leader. I thrive in an environment where I can be a quiet leader. I learned a lot about myself through this internship . I noticed that I like to be behind the scenes of the program planning. … Dr. Fink was a great advisor and really gave me so many opportunities to learn. “
Spells: “Both Dr. Fink and Dr. Lauren and I didn’t allow anything to take over our internship. We were allowed to set up any community classes, use any recipes, and pursue any external projects we wanted. I really enjoyed this freedom because it enabled me to be more creative and showed me how independent I can be in the workplace. I really appreciate your collective support this summer and can’t wait to continue working with you in the coming school year. “
Why Ohio Wesleyan?
Must end: “I chose OWU for several reasons. I live right next to the university, so I can live at home, which saves me a lot of money. I am also a dual heir. My parents graduated in ’90 and my aunt and uncle in ’94.
“Another reason is that I never saw myself at a big school. I wanted to have one-on-one interviews with my professors and build meaningful relationships with them.
The list goes on and on, but the final reason I’ll give is that the nutrition program wasn’t brought to OWU until the year before I started at OWU. I wanted to be part of something new and part of the growth. “
Spells: “I found out about the university because I had several family members attending OWU, including my mother in ’92, my aunt in ’75, and my uncle in ’72. Growing up I had a fairly extensive collection of OWU gear, and while they all made it very clear that I had chosen college, they were all excited when I decided to get involved.
“In the end, I decided to go to OWU because I knew I wanted to go to a small college for the humanities. I was looking for a place with small class sizes so it was easier to build relationships with colleagues and professors. I’ve attended several colleges in and outside of Ohio that shared similar campus values and cultures, but something about OWU just felt like home. “
future plans
Must end: “At the moment I plan to find a job nearby or in Delaware after graduation. … I hope to find a job in public health and nutrition. I could also imagine working in the non-profit sector. I feel that my experience with Cooking Matters has helped me prepare for many job opportunities. “
Spells: “I have learned that not just health in detail, but the health system as a whole is very important to me. I’m not entirely sure what I want to do in the future, but this internship allowed me to pursue one of my passions that I think will serve me in the future. …
“I will most likely do a gap year and work for a year. Until then, I will hopefully decide whether I want to study nutrition or study medicine. “
More about cooking matters
At the national level, Cooking Matters is overseen by the Washington, DC-based nonprofit Share Our Strength as part of the No Kid Hungry Initiative. At the local level, Cooking Matters is part of the Delaware County’s Hunger Alliance, which brings together multiple groups interested in food insecurity issues.
