Food For the Common Good Fuels the 2026 Healthcare Culinary Conference

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In its third year, the Healthcare Culinary Conference, held June 8-10, 2026, on the UMass Amherst campus, blended seamlessly with UMass Dining’s nationally acclaimed Chef Culinary Conference. The theme for both was shaped around the idea of “Food for the Common Good” and focused on ideas of culinary strategy, authenticity, innovation, planetary and human health, diversity, and leadership. It offers nurses, dietitians, physicians, dentists, mental health clinicians, and community health workers an opportunity to learn how to improve the lives of the population they serve through healthy food and lifestyle options using culturally driven, globally inspired recipes and practices. 

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From left to right: Angela Odoms-Young, Christopher Gardner, Marion Nestle, Tom Brenna, and Anna Maria Siega-Riz

This year’s healthcare conference speakers included nutritionist and author Marion Nestle, who led attendees into a deep dive of food systems in America and how we need to transition to a more sustainable food supply that also serves the purpose of improving the health of populations. Anna Maria Siega-Riz, professor of nutrition and dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, then moderated a conversation with members of the scientific community who were involved in the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Angela Odoms-Young, co-chair; Christopher Gardner, member of the DGAC; and Tom Brenna, member of the HHS Scientific Review Committee), examining how recommendations have evolved and where inconsistencies remain. These were just the start to a robust round of talks that provided insights on how chefs, food service professionals, healthcare providers, and others can begin to implement the new DGAs in the real-world settings. 

“I especially enjoyed the session by Dr. Davia Nielsen on nutrition misinformation,” said Siega-Riz, who serves as one of the conference’s co-organizers. “She eloquently provided food and healthcare professionals with tools to identify misinformation and where to go to find the best trusted sources of science.”  

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Healthcare Culinary Conference Attendees touring the UMass Food Pantry.

“Likewise, the session on teaching kitchens—led by Dr. Beth Eagleson, MD, with a panel of chefs who themselves are academicians and physicians—was inspirational. They showed the next generation of professionals how they can bring culinary arts into their everyday practice to improve the lives of the patient/community members they serve.” 

The three-day event also included a panel on ultra-processed foods with International Food Information Council CEO Wendy Reinhardt and Harvard’s Dr. Walter Willett. 

Attendees took advantage of a wide array of opportunities, including a tour of the new campus food pantry to learn of the collaborative effort with the Amherst Survival Center to make food more accessible to the university and greater Amherst communities. They then filled kitchens across Worcester Commons to prepare healthy meals during a hands-on cooking demo with chefs from Johnson and Wales University.