Celeste Phillips, a sophomore honors nutrition and dietetics major, prepares jollof rice, a traditional dish from Nigeria, for her Food Concepts class.

Food connects us

Article by Amy Cherry Photos by Ashley Barnas Larrimore March 24, 2025

Nutrition and dietetics students learn how food connects people, cultures and communities

Celeste Phillips had been in and out of hospitals and registered dietitians’ offices for most of her childhood.

“Anytime I ate, my stomach hurt,” Phillips said.

At 11, she was diagnosed with celiac disease and fructose malabsorption. Too often, she was told what she couldn’t eat. Her experience inspired the now sophomore honors student to major in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences.

One of her favorite classes thus far has been Food Concepts, taught by Jennifer Thorpe, director of undergraduate nutrition programs.

The required course for nutrition majors blends food science and preparation with students conducting food-based experiments and testing culturally themed recipes in UD’s Food & Nutrition Education Laboratory.

“Not only do they learn about other cultures, but students conduct a nutrition analysis and how to modify dishes to make them healthier,” Thorpe said. “They also evaluate the entire meal, assessing how components fit together nutritionally and align with dietary guidelines.”

The year Phillips took the course, the project focused on Nigeria, the home of graduate teaching assistant Adebimpe Adewoye.

“It opened my eyes to different flavors and cooking techniques,” said Phillips, who made jollof rice, a staple at Nigerian gatherings. “A Nigerian student said it tasted like home, which was validating.”

It also taught her about meal preparation.

“I learned how to adapt recipes for people who don’t have access to certain foods,” Phillips said.

Celeste Phillips (left), a sophomore honors nutrition and dietetics major; Ivanna Kaburia (right), a junior honors nutrition and medical sciences major; and Adebimpe Adewoye (back), a graduate teaching assistant pursuing her master’s in human nutrition, work together to prepare traditional Nigerian dishes in the Food and Nutrition Education Laboratory.

Celeste Phillips (left), a sophomore honors nutrition and dietetics major; Adebimpe Adewoye (right), a graduate teaching assistant pursuing her master’s in human nutrition; and Ivanna Kaburia (back), a junior honors nutrition and medical sciences major, work together to prepare traditional Nigerian dishes in the Food & Nutrition Education Laboratory.

Ivanna Kaburia, a junior honors nutrition and medical sciences major, also loved the course. Her project focused on Kenya, where she’s from.

“It made my heart happy to learn more about my background and share my culture with others in the class,” she said.

Adewoye, who’s pursuing her master’s in human nutrition, hopes students learn that food is more than sustenance.

“Food is a language of connection and a tool for unity,” Adewoye said. “It’s a universal connector — a place where we can all meet in the middle.”

The course also directly relates to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' theme for National Nutrition Month®, “Food Connects Us,” which is reflected throughout UD’s nutrition curriculum.

“Food can heal the body, bring communities together and start conversations,” Phillips said.

For Phillips, food strengthened relationships, especially with her younger sister, who battled anorexia and Crohn’s disease. Their shared struggles ultimately brought them closer. Now, they cook together on holidays, experimenting with gluten-free dishes.

“It’s been powerful to see our relationships with food heal and change,” Phillips said.

More than a meal

The idea of food as a connector extends beyond Food Concepts to other Department of Health Behavior and Nutrition Sciences courses.

Courses like Spice Kitchen, taught by adjunct instructor Melanie Rojas, and Cooking Around the World and Takeout Makeover, taught by adjunct instructor Brittany Knick, also reinforce the theme of food as a form of connection.

In Cooking Around the World, Knick introduces students to new cultures through traditional dishes, while Takeout Makeover challenges them to create healthier versions of popular restaurant meals.

Senior Jacob Levy, a double major in financial planning and wealth management, took Melanie Rojas’ Spice Kitchen class as an elective. The class explores the flavors and health properties of several spices and allows students to use the spices in the preparation of dishes.

In Spice Kitchen, Rojas teaches basic cooking techniques, food safety and sensory evaluation skills with a bit of history mixed in. Spices like garlic and thyme are known to students, but they’re less familiar with turmeric and ginger.

“They learn how to use spices in lieu of salt,” Rojas said. “It surprises students that spices were used as currency in medieval times.”

Students also prepare food, eat it together and evaluate it.

“They have conversations about their cultures and family traditions and bond with their classmates while reconnecting with their own cultures while away from home,” Rojas said.

The practical class is popular among non-nutrition majors like senior Jacob Levy, a first-generation college student double-majoring in financial planning and wealth management.

“It’s been a lot of fun and improved my cooking skills,” he said. “I’ve also learned what spices mix well together.”

It also exposed him to the diverse student body at UD.

“I’ve seen the same business students the past four years, so it’s been refreshing to meet a different group of students,” Levy said.

Through these courses, students learn far more than cooking skills — they discover how food connects people, cultures and communities.

“Together, these courses expose nutrition majors, future nutrition professionals and others pursuing careers in nursing, medicine and healthcare to dietary diversity, helping them appreciate foods from other cultures and develop cultural competence," Thorpe said.