Success Stories

Lead the Change: A Collaborative Teaching Kitchen Initiative Led by NL Health Services Dietetic Interns and Compass Foodservice

Submitted by Kara Roberts MSc, RD, Director, Dietetic Internship Program, Professional Practice Allied Health, NL Health Services

Compass One HealthCare, in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) Dietetic Internship Program, continues to present the Teaching Kitchen program across the Eastern Urban zone of NLHS. These interactive events provide opportunities for patients, residents, staff, and visitors to explore simple, nutritious recipes while building food literacy skills and increasing awareness of the vital role that nutrition plays in overall health.

During Canadian Malnutrition Awareness Week 2026, dietetic interns Andrea Amor Ablaza and Hayley Andrews collaborated with Compass Group Food Services teams across St. John’s to support nutrition-focused care initiatives across acute care, long-term care, and community settings.

A key highlight of the week was a Teaching Kitchen event hosted at Pleasant View Towers, a long-term-care facility, where the interns demonstrated the preparation of homemade chili and a high-protein strawberry pineapple trifle. The recipes were intentionally selected to showcase practical, affordable, and nutrient-dense meal options that can help support adequate energy and protein intake. The trifle, containing approximately 10 grams of protein per serving, was developed to demonstrate simple strategies for increasing dietary protein and support malnutrition prevention. As part of the initiative, the dessert was implemented as a menu special and distributed across care sites within St. John’s. Residents, staff, and visitors were invited to observe the cooking demonstration, sample the recipes, and participate in discussions about nutrition, food safety, protein requirements, and strategies to reduce the risk of malnutrition.

Partnering with Compass Group Executive Chefs Jason Harding and Derrick Parsons, the interns helped create an engaging and interactive learning environment that encouraged meaningful conversations about healthy eating and nutrition.

Beyond the Teaching Kitchen event, the interns contributed to several nutrition education and awareness initiatives. These included creating event posters, handouts on recognizing malnutrition, patient tray flyers,and recipe cards featuring nutrition tips and nutrient analysis. The interns also developed staff huddles on nutrition care and malnutrition prevention, while contributing to recipe development, testing, nutrient analysis, and product sampling to support patient-centered menu enhancements.

These experiences provided valuable opportunities for the interns to strengthen competencies in nutrition education, health promotion, knowledge translation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Through these initiatives, the interns helped increase awareness of malnutrition and foster collaboration between clinical and food service teams. The project supported ongoing efforts to strengthen malnutrition prevention and nutrition care throughout the Eastern Urban Zone of NLHS.