The program’s cooking classes were launched in December 2023 at the Premier Health YMCA, 2649 Salem Ave., Dayton. The classes didn’t catch on as quickly as expected, but listening sessions and a collaboration with Central State University proved pivotal to establish trust within the West Dayton community.
“The community tells us we are a powerful resource,” said Dr. Judith Davis, vice president of care coordination at CareSource. “Having earned the community’s trust feels so much better than if we were just handed it. There were other teaching kitchens that had been launched close to where we are but I’m not sure they nailed the content in a way that was palpable for the community.
“Our very intentional steps — having community listening sessions and investing in resources like community health workers who could teach people what nutrition education was and what chronic condition management can be outside the doctor’s office — made everything pop by the end of 2024, allowing classes to fill up almost to 100 percent capacity. By the end of 2025, we will have served close to 2,300 unique community members in West Dayton," Davis said.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
In addition to being pleased about CareSouce providing members with access to a registered dietician, a registered nurse trained in diabetes management and a chef to help with healthy eating practices, she said the organization has taken a proactive approach regarding the life expectancy rate in the West Dayton community.
“Before we opened the center we looked at community demographics,” she explained. “There is a 20-year life expectancy difference in the life expectancy rate between the community members that surrounded the West Dayton campus and the community members that were in the city or neighboring suburbs. In five years we want to knock off two years. Instead of 20 years we want it to be 18 years. We believe that much in lifestyle intervention being at the center of addressing chronic conditions.”
Past classes have covered such topics as “How to Make Your Own Baby Food,” “Herbs and Spices of the African Heritage Diet” and “Beyond Brown Rice: Ancient Grains of the African Heritage Diet.” In a testament to current angst surrounding America’s affordability crisis, one of this year’s most popular classes was “How to Feed a Family of Four from the Dollar Tree for Under 20 Dollars.”
“We do not shed any negative light on food access,” Davis said. “If our members say their food access points are food banks, gas stations or the Dollar General, we develop classes so that you can choose healthy, affordable food from those places.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
The final class of 2025 will take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29. Davis is excited to teach “Cozy, Tasty, Tubers and Gourds of the African Heritage Diet Celebrating Kwanzaa.”
“One of the traditional Kwanzaa foods is squash,” she said. “We’re going to be roasting butternut squash and talking about why butternut squash has a low glycemic index for people with diabetes that also is our heritage. This is how our ancestral folks used root vegetables like carrots and potatoes that are indigenous to the continent of Africa.”
For questions or more information, email theteachingkitchen@caresource.com. Be advised that some classes are open to the public while others are for CareSource members only.
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