Launched this spring, the Bears Lead Teaching Kitchen program invites Missouri State University students in the Bears Lead program to discover the joy of cooking.

Designed and led by Dr. Daniela Novotny, registered dietitian and senior instructor in the School of Health Sciences, the program blends hands-on culinary lessons with practical nutrition education.

“Since many college students face barriers with eating a nourishing diet, our goal was to build cooking confidence and food literacy while supporting healthier habits,” Novotny said.

The start of Teaching Kitchen

The idea for the Bears Lead Teaching Kitchen began after a member from the office of access and success programs invited Novotny to adapt her popular Employee Wellness Cooking Talks sessions for Bears Lead students.

Bears Lead is a two-year transition program designed to help first-generation students adjust to campus life and develop academic and personal skills.

The first Teaching Kitchen took place on April 23, with 15 students participating.

“When you make a meal with others, there is a sense of shared space and camaraderie,” Novotny said. “Getting to eat the food we made together felt nostalgic, and it was definitely a highlight of the evening.”

Novotny said her favorite part of the pilot session was watching Bears Lead students gain confidence in making meals. She also enjoyed having her nutrition and dietetics students step into leadership roles, guiding participants and adapting to the surprises that can come with any cooking class.

“Our results, from a pre- and post-survey, showed that students gained confidence in cooking and improved their nutrition knowledge,” she said.

More sessions

Following the pilot’s success, Novotny was invited to organize a two-part series this fall for Bears Lead. Assisting her are students enrolled in her DTN 695 Research in Nutrition and Dietetics, part of Missouri State’s new accelerated master’s in nutrition and dietetics. By helping to implement and evaluate the program, these students are putting their classroom knowledge into practice – developing teaching skills, leading sessions and collecting and analyzing research results.

The first session for fall took place on Oct. 1 with 22 students for a lesson themed “Cooking Basics for Life.” Participants learned how to read recipes, measure ingredients accurately and plan a balanced, affordable meal using minimal kitchen equipment.

“The students in Bears Lead are amazing – so friendly, eager to learn and engaged. I loved seeing their excitement for trying new things and being open to skills they may have been nervous about before, like using a knife or immersion blender,” Novotny said.

The second session themed, “Dorm Cooking and Snack Hacks” took place on Oct. 30. Students learned how to prepare nutritious, low-cost meals using a microwave and simple ingredients available from the Missouri State Bear Pantry or local grocery stores.

Novotny’s biggest takeaway from this experience is how vital cooking programs are for today’s students.

“Cooking and nutrition literacy are lifelong tools,” she said. “We need more programs like this because students today are often surrounded by misinformation about food, and many have not been taught how to cook for themselves.”

The program has received support from:

• The Bears Ink, the Entrepreneurship Lab in Missouri State’s management department, which donated mugs
• Missouri Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (MOAND), which provided grant funding to Novotny for the food and supplies for the fall sessions

A valuable learning opportunity

The partnership with Bears Lead has also been a meaningful learning experience for Novotny’s nutrition and dietetics students.

“What a neat opportunity for them to develop lesson plans, lead a class and get valuable teaching and practical experience,” she said.

Among the students was senior Clara Gust, the nutrition and dietetics foods lab assistant, who often volunteers at teaching kitchens and cooking classes.

“I did the grocery shopping and helped to set up for sessions,” she said. “During the session, I guided Bears Lead students if they were struggling with the recipes.”

Graduate students Amy Harrington and Lauren Brumfield appreciated the opportunity to lead the session and assist with data collection for the research component.

“With Dr. Novotny’s support, we chose the recipes, designed the format of the class, demonstrated the recipes and taught the nutrition education section of the class,” Harrington said.

As she explores various paths within dietetics, the teaching kitchen experience deepened her understanding of how people connect with food and learning.

“I learned how people relate to food and cooking and how to present information in ways that are both interesting and empowering,” she added.

What’s next?

Novotny and five of her colleagues have teamed up to create the MSU Teaching Kitchen Collaborative.

“Our goal is to offer more of these programs to campus and community groups,” she said. “Teaching kitchens help people build lifelong confidence in the kitchen and learn to make healthy, affordable and tasty meals.”

The collaborative already has several exciting projects in progress. One of them is with MSU Care, a Mercy-affiliated clinic on campus and another is with the Bear Pantry. Novotny also looks forward to expanding the Bears Lead Teaching Kitchen in the years ahead.

Winning an award

Novotny’s leadership with the Bears Lead Teaching Kitchen program has not gone unnoticed. MOAND President Takako Tagami nominated her for the Missouri Council for Activity and Nutrition (MOCAN) Healthcare Professional Award, and she was selected as one of this year’s winners.

On Oct. 30, she traveled to Jefferson City to be recognized alongside other honorees.

“While there, I presented about the project,” Novotny said. “It was exciting because the audience included doctors, nurses, health educators and other professionals. The more they learn about teaching kitchens and what dietitians can bring to the table, the more they’ll see the value in partnering with us.”

Explore the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics