Culinary Medicine is a unique, evidence-based program that provides hands-on education and health-improvement resources to patients, clinicians and community members.
The Joy of Cooking and Science of Nutrition, Rooted in Nature
At University of Vermont Health, we know that healthy food systems and nutrition play a critical role in well-being. The mission of our Culinary Medicine program is to nourish health in our community through the joy of cooking, the science of nutrition and the wonder of the natural world.
Foundational principles of culinary medicine include:
- Striving to create safe spaces that incorporate the principles of patient-and family-centered care, accessibility and inclusion.
- Focusing on what we have in common – developing common language to talk about food and health, sharing resources and support among all our patient and practitioner partners.
- Providing empowering experiential learning opportunities designed to promote curiosity and self-efficacy in patients as they move toward their vision of optimal health.
- Recognizing that we depend on natural resources to sustain ourselves and promote healing and mutually beneficial relationships between individuals, communities and the natural environment.
- Believing that feeling “awe” and a connection to what we eat and where it comes from are vital to self-care and our experience as humans.
Download Recipe Cards
Download individual recipes to keep in your kitchen and reference them anytime you need inspiration!
This soup is full of warming spices like ginger to help invigorate your body on a crisp fall day.
This tasty grain-based salad uses late-summer and early-autumn Vermont produce, but it is a highly modifiable recipe.
Tired of mashed potatoes and roasted carrots? These are a great way to use root vegetables in a new way.
Culinary Medicine Resources
We have created helpful guides to support your journey with Culinary Medicine.
Do you have trouble affording healthy food for yourself or your family? Hunger exists in every community in America. We have collected resources that may be able to help. Learn about state, federal and community funded food programs as well as charitable organizations.
We curate events and programs to fit the needs of our partners, and we maintain free public spaces for you to engage with nature at two University of Vermont Medical Center locations.
What's That Food?
Our video series highlights simple and cost-effective ways to include more plant-based foods in your diet. These videos showcase seasonal local produce and goods that you can grow in your backyard, patio or window box.
Meet the Team
R. Leah Pryor
Executive Chef Manager and Co-Founder of the Culinary Medicine Program
Chef Leah started her culinary career in 1994. She graduated the Culinary Institute of America with her AOS in culinary arts in 2000. She promptly took the chef position at Fog Island Café, where she ran the kitchen and externship program, teaching young cooks the ways of from-scratch, high-volume breakfast and lunch cookery. She then followed her passion for food to Vermont and took the chef position at Mary’s Restaurant Inn at Baldwin Creek.
She worked closely with Chef/Owner Doug Mack, who started the Vermont Fresh Network in 1996, way before farm-to-table was a movement. In 2010 Chef Leah decided to make a change and went to work for University of Vermont Medical Center. In 2017 she was awarded a UVM Medical Center Foundation grant, through which she has been able to create the Chef Educator role and expand the Culinary Medicine program. In 2020, she was promoted to Executive Chef Manager in Nutrition Services, overseeing the culinary aspects of Patient Services, and continues her work directing the Culinary Medicine program.
Rachel Boyers
Garden Educator
Rachel holds a BS from Cornell University and MLA from the University of Pennsylvania, both in landscape architecture. She joined the Culinary Medicine team in 2023. After 10 years of experience as a landscape architect, Rachel’s journey shifted with the birth of her son with special health care needs, whom she found delighted in the sensations he experienced while in her garden. Rachel’s new path included 18 years supporting families of children with disabilities, and a certification in horticultural therapy from the New York Botanical Garden.
She is also a UVM Osher Center Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching trainee. Rachel believes that there is an undeniable link between the mind/body and the natural world, and that this relationship is critical to one's mental and physical health and well-being. Rachel feels fortunate to be bringing programming to an organization that supported her family through her child’s many medical challenges. Her goal as Garden Educator is to build community and ensure that the therapeutic benefits of gardening and a strong connection to nature are accessible to everyone.
Lisa Hoare
Garden Educator
Lisa was UVM Medical Center's first Garden Educator and is credited for the establishment of many of our current programs and the care and upkeep of the garden spaces at our Main Campus and Fanny Allen. Lisa now supports Culinary Medicine in an advisory role and on special projects.
Jessica Fischer
Registered Dietitian
Jess is a Registered Dietitian at UVM Medical Center working in both an inpatient and outpatient setting. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from URI and then ventured up to Vermont for a master’s degree in nutrition, as well as some skiing. Her studies and interests include sustainable agriculture, gardening, and helping patients build a positive relationship with food and exercise through connection to nature. Other interests include food preservation and helping folks build skills that support their own food security. She is currently completing her Master Gardener Certificate and will continue to be a part of the Culinary Medicine team as a Dietitian with a focus on making home gardening accessible to all through The Learning Garden program.
Alison Precourt
Registered Dietitian
Alison Swanson Precourt RD, CD, CDCES is a registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, providing clinical nutrition expertise at the UVM Medical Center Children's Hospital for over 30 years. Her focus is working with the pediatric population. Alison is a graduate of University of Vermont, with a BS in dietetics and nutrition. She completed her internship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ (now part of Rutgers University). Alison joined the Culinary Medicine team at UVM Medical Center in 2018. This culinary venture has allowed her the opportunity to team-teach healthy eating through a dynamic and fun approach, blending the joy of cooking with the science of nutrition.
