The medical students who make up our leadership board, the Culinary Medicine Society, help to keep current Tulane medical students engaged in teaching kitchen activities. They help spread the word about opportunities for students to get involved and assist in scheduling medical student volunteers for our community cooking classes. They plan and staff community outreach events as well as student outreach cooking classes and parties throughout the year. They help manage our kids’ programming and assist with social media. We couldn’t do what we do without their help!
2024-2025 Leadership
Karissa Kao
President
Ann Arbor, MI
Email: kkao@tulane.edu
“Food and nutrition are central to our lives and essential for preventing chronic disease. As a former athlete, I experienced firsthand the delicate balance of a healthy relationship with food and how nutrition impacts performance and mental well-being. I’m excited to share my passion for utilizing food as medicine to promote healing and incorporating a public health approach through the Culinary Medicine Society!”
Nathan Tu
Treasurer
Novi, MI
Email: ntu@tulane.edu
“Food, just like health, is indivisible from culture, society, and the human experience in its entirety. Learning about cooking is a pathway to better health and an opportunity to learn more about those we share our meals with. I’m excited to find ways to connect with the patients in New Orleans through food and I welcome any opportunity to learn a new recipe!”
Maqueline Weiss
Secretary/Social Media Coordinator
Atlanta, GA
Email: mweiss9@tulane.edu
“As a passionate cook and proud type 1 diabetic, I believe that food is not just fuel—it’s medicine, connection, and creativity on a plate! Currently on the path to becoming a pediatric endocrinologist, I am committed to helping kids with diabetes thrive. With experience leading teaching kitchens for newly diagnosed diabetics, I love showing others that managing health and savoring life go hand in hand. Culinary Medicine ties it all together, blending science and flavor to promote healthier, happier lives.”
Nicola Voss
Secretary/Social Media Coordinator
Dothan, AL
Email: nvoss1@tulane.edu
“One of my greatest passions is the intricate relationship between nutrition, health, and medicine. During my recent master’s in public health and nutrition at Tulane SPHTM, I grew within this passion and learned how access, education, income, and other social determinants of health have a proportionate effect on nutrition. I am excited to be on the board of CMS to continue working with this community and fellow medical students to share my love for nutrition and all the positive aspects that come with it!”
Abigail Seman
Lead Community Outreach Coordinator
Denver, CO
Email: aseman@tulane.edu
“I am thrilled to serve as a community outreach coordinator, coordinating between CMS and the vibrant New Orleans community. I firmly believe that food is medicine, and that proper nutrition plays a vital role in supporting both physical and mental health. As someone who loves to cook (and eat!), I’m excited to combine my personal passions with my professional aspirations in disease prevention and holistic medicine, fostering a healthier, more connected community.”
Mathew Holleman
Community Outreach Coordinator
Highland Park, IL
Email: mholleman@tulane.edu
“Hi y’all! I joined CMS because I am passionate about nutrition and its impact on health outcomes. I hope to be able to spread the importance of eating healthy and am excited to work with the Goldring Center to do so!”
Sarah Knack
Community Outreach Coordinator
Bethesda, MD
Email: sknack@tulane.edu
“I am so excited to get involved in CMS as an Outreach Coordinator! I find cooking and sharing meals to be a fantastic way to build community, so I can’t wait to connect with people through community cooking classes and other events this year. I was also motivated to join CMS because of my long-standing interest in neurology and the potential for lifestyle changes to help prevent major health events like stroke. I hope to learn more about how we can work with our future patients to recommend dietary changes that can actually be accessible and enjoyable!”
Nikitha Bose
Community Outreach Coordinator
Cumming, GA
Email: nbose@tulane.edu
“For most of history, people couldn’t just go to the grocery store and instantly access foods and flavors from all over the world. How lucky are we that we can?! Knowing that, I think everyone deserves to eat for nutrition and prevention, without having to cut out all the tasty food that life has to offer! With CMS, I’d love to spread my knowledge and passion.”
Khashaiar Motazedian
Community Outreach Coordinator
Shiraz, Iran
Email: kmotazedian@tulane.edu
“I truly believe that food has the power not only to nourish our bodies but also to bring people together and foster a sense of well-being. This is why I am so drawn to the mission of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine in educating the New Orleans community to discover how cooking can be both enjoyable and empowering.”
Hayley Rothbart
Kids Programming Coordinator
Los Angeles, CA
Email: hrothbart@tulane.edu
“I’m excited to use my time on the CMS board to further connect with New Orleans and expand our positive community presence. As a kid’s programming coordinator, I’m passionate about creating an environment where kids can feel confident with new foods and am looking forward to guiding our next generation towards a healthy relationship with food.”
Navya Chintala
Kids Programming Coordinator
Potomac, MD
Email: nchintala@tulane.edu
“Over the last couple of years, I have gained a strong passion for cooking and nutrition. And, it is through cooking that I have realized what a powerful tool food can be to help people form connections. I joined CMS so that I could be part of the movement to empower those within the community to care for their health through food. I am very excited to be part of CMS so I can share my passion for cooking. I can’t wait to engage more with the local community!”
Julia Montes-Laing
Kids Programming Coordinator
San Jose, CA
Email: jmonteslaing@tulane.edu
“I’m so excited to be a part of CMS and support patients on their journey to better health. I’ve spent several years working with organizations in New Orleans and San Francisco that focus on improving food security, and I’ve seen how confusing and overwhelming it can be for people trying to make healthier choices. I’m excited to start creating nutritional programming for kids, empowering families to make informed decisions and build healthier habits from an early age.”
2024-2025 Leadership
Steffi Bolton
President
Atlanta, GA
Email: sbolton2@tulane.edu
“I joined CMS to become more engaged with our local community and to explore how we can better integrate food and nutrition into healthcare. Nutrition is an essential aspect of health that I believe is currently underutilized, and I want to be a part of the change that shifts how our patients perceive nutrition in relation to their overall health.”
Emily Hart
Treasurer
Lake Charles, LA
Email: ehart3@tulane.edu
“I have a quote on my fridge that reads, “Cooking is what happens when you care about people,” and I couldn’t agree more. Culinary medicine is a satisfying fusion of educating and helping others, listening to accommodate various preferences and goals, and following one’s intuition to create something for someone to enjoy. That is why I joined CMS–to have a hand in creating a forum for those interested in two of my deepest passions: improving lives and exploring culinary arts.”
Karina Butani
Secretary
Bay Area, California
Email: kbutani@tulane.edu
“Over the last couple years, I have been really passionate about nutrition and its relationship to health and medicine. As I have been focusing on physical health, I have learned a lot about how diet complements exercise to positively impact our overall health and well-being. I love experimenting with new recipes in my free time and exploring different cultures through food. I am extremely excited to share this passion with both my peers and community members through CMS!”
Natalie Lim
Social Media Coordinator
Shreveport, LA
Email: nlim1@tulane.edu
“One of my personal goals in medicine is public health and disease prevention through culinary medicine. I want to take a holistic approach to health that also includes nutritional, cultural, and social factors. I grew up loving to cook and hope to empower people to take charge of their health through their food choices. I can’t wait to work with the New Orleans community and share my passion for cooking!”
Madeline Kling
Community Outreach Coordinator
New Orleans, LA
Email: mkling1@tulane.edu
“Hi! My name is Madeline Kling, and I am from New Orleans. I am very excited to be working with the Culinary Medicine Society as one of the Community Outreach Coordinators. I have always enjoyed cooking and sharing meals with family members and friends. I hope to work with the CMS team to help plan events for other medical students and community members and educate others about the importance of nutrition. I am really looking forward to this year!”
Soren McLeod
Community Outreach Coordinator
Cambridge, MA
Email: smcleod1@tulane.edu
“Passionate about diet as preventative care!!”
Jordan Karpin
Community Outreach Coordinator
Los Angeles, CA
Email: jkarpin@tulane.edu
“I am passionate about the power of food to heal and transform the body!”
Sebastian Milanes
Community Outreach Coordinator
Miami, FL
Email: smilanes@tulane.edu
“Excited to be a part of CMS! Cooking and nutrition form such a significant foundation for our health and wellbeing. I am looking forward to the opportunity to be able to share my passion for cooking with my peers and the community to make a positive impact.”
Jacquelin Kwentus
Kids Programming Coordinator
Fort Worth, TX
Email: jkwentus@tulane.edu
“I am so excited to be a part of CMS! Culinary medicine is something really unique to Tulane Medicine and I’m looking forward to all the great projects we have going on this year!”
Madison Blackstone
Kids Programming Coordinator
Lafayette, LA
Email: mblackstone@tulane.edu
“I am excited to be a part of CMS because of my passion for cooking, good food, and nutrition! I have always been passionate about the role of diet and lifestyle in overall health and believe that food is a form of medicine. I am looking forward to engaging with and empowering both community members and students to make informed choices when it comes to food.”
Dani Goldaber
Kids Programming Coordinator
Dover, MA
Email: dgoldabe@tulane.edu
“I joined CMS to interact with the New Orleans community and learn more about Culinary Medicine to help future patients, Diet and nutrition are so essential for health, and I am passionate about working with this team!”
2023-2024 Leadership
Trevor Anderson
President
Email: tanderson4@tulane.edu
“I am so excited to serve as the 2023-2024 President of CMS. I firmly believe that food can act as the ultimate medium to unify, heal, and share love within communities. Cooking and experimenting with new recipes always “fills my cup” and provides me with mental clarity, and I am looking forward to blending this passion with my academic interests of addressing the social determinants of health and root causes of disease. I cannot wait to work with our great team and the Teaching Kitchen to build culinary medicine education initiatives for New Orleanians and our fellow medical students.”
Chista Irani
Treasurer
Email: cirani@tulane.edu
“Coming from a blended Indian-Persian background, food is central to my identity, and I love learning about different cultures and people through food. I also really enjoy reading and learning about how food can improve, support, and protect our health, and the role nutrition can play in medicine and disease treatment. I am so excited to join the Teaching Kitchen because it is such a unique opportunity to bring my interests in food and medicine together, as well as being a really fun way to better connect with the New Orleans community. ”
Michael Crick
Secretary/Social Media Coordinator
Email: mcrick@tulane.edu
“I am from Baton Rouge Louisiana, which means Louisiana cooking (and eating) has always been my way of life. In the second grade I was diagnosed with Celiac disease which meant I could no longer eat gluten (flour, wheat, barley). Growing up I had to be extremely cautious of what I ate and had to learn about what is in the food we eat at a young age. A love of cooking was instilled in me from my family which spills into my passion for medicine. To help someone you must fix what is fueling them. The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine was one of the main reasons I chose Tulane!”
Hannah Chiu
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: hchiu1@tulane.edu
“Hello! My name is Hannah Chiu, and I’m from Southern California. Food is so deeply tied with building community and sharing our backgrounds and cultures with one another. Having conversations about diet and nutrition to improve someone’s health can be extremely rewarding, but also difficult to navigate. Through the Culinary Medicine Society, I hope to foster learning opportunities for these conversations while also serving the local community in food accessibility and dietary health education. I’m excited for our team to grow in this type of comprehensive care and contribute to the city’s rich food culture.”
Jonathan Hurley
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: jhurley1@tulane.edu
“Hello everyone, my name is Jonathan Hurley, and I am one of the community outreach chairs with the 2023-2024 CMS team! I became passionate about cooking and nutrition during the COVID-19 quarantine, when I ended up with a lot of free time at home to try new experiments in the kitchen. As I have tried more and more recipes, I have come to realize the importance of our diet on our health and I recognize the need for the culinary arts in medicine. Additionally, one aspect of cooking I especially love is how it brings people together. That is one of the many reasons I am so excited to plan events for the New Orleans community this upcoming year. With the rest of our team, I hope to help spread awareness about nutrition in our daily lives and to have some fun doing so!”
Jessica Altman
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: jaltman3@tulane.edu
“I am thrilled to be one of the 2023-2024 Community Outreach Coordinators. Most of my favorite memories are made with food. Whether it’s helping cook Thanksgiving dinner with my mom, going out for a celebratory dinner with friends, or coming back to my apartment after a rough day to find my roommate got me my favorite cookies. It has become a passion of mine to learn how to continue making these memories in a healthier way, combining nutrition with a passion for cooking and food. I am excited to share this knowledge with the community, helping others improve physical health and make healthy memories starting in the kitchen!”
Andrea Yazbeck
Kids Programming Coordinator
Email: ayazbeck@tulane.edu
“I am so excited to be a part of Culinary Medicine Society as nutrition, cooking, and medicine are some of my favorite subjects! I grew up in a Lebanese household, where cooking and Mediterranean cuisine was a such an important part of our culture/traditions. When I moved away from my family for college, my appreciation for this upbringing really grew and I became passionate about cooking and nutritious foods. It was a way to stay connected to my roots, a creative outlet, and an opportunity to explore how what we eat directly contributes to how we feel and our overall health. I can’t wait to share this passion with the community through the Teaching Kitchen!”
Allyson Segall
Kids Programming Coordinator
Email:
“Hi everyone! My name is Allyson and I am very excited to serve as one of the Kids Programming Coordinators this year. I learned to cook when I was really young and grew up cooking dinner with my brother. As I grew older my passion only grew. I started baking more and for a while, I baked and decorated cakes for our friends and family events. In college, I minored in Public Health and was able to take some nutrition courses, showing me the vital role food has in preventative medicine. I hope to educate the community on healthy cooking and connect Tulane and New Orleans through cooking. I can’t wait to share my love of food with the children and everyone in our community!”
2022-2023 Leadership
Tatjana Mortell
President
Email: tmortell@tulane.edu
“Hello everyone! My name is Tatjana Mortell and I am excited to serve as the CMS President for the 2022-23 academic year. My passion for food and cooking began in high school while working in the cafe at a popular gym. It was then that I began to appreciate nutrition as a powerful tool for our health, however, the importance of it in medicine is often overlooked in the medical school curriculum. The GCCM was one of my draws to attending medical school at Tulane given the unique opportunity to learn a knowledge set that will allow me to provide my patients with the most comprehensive care. This is especially important to me given the severity and prevalence of multifactorial ‘lifestyle diseases’ like heart disease and diabetes in the United States. As President of the CMS I hope to share my passion for Culinary Medicine with my classmates, help advocate for increased and improved learning opportunities for medical students, and continue to grow initiatives that uplift and improve the health of the New Orleans community.”
Truman Nguyen
Treasurer
Email: tnguye36@tulane.edu
“I grew up around people who were very passionate about food and that love was passed onto me. Since I was young, I always saw food and eating as more than just something we all do to stay alive. It can be one of the most powerful means of expression and communication precisely because it’s a thing that each person has in common. I can’t wait to help the Culinary Medicine Society and Teaching Kitchen share that common language of food with the folks who come through!”
Arianna Lehuquet
Secretary/Social Media Coordinator
Email: alehuquet@tulane.edu
“Some of my favorite memories growing up are the ones in my Grandpa’s kitchen learning the recipes that have been in my family for generations. Through food and cooking, I learned the rich history of who came before me and the power that sharing meals with others holds. I am excited that my two passions, food and medicine, have a space to coexist here in the Teaching Kitchen and am excited to further promote physical and mental wellness through the art of cooking.”
Pranali Gandhi
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: pgandhi2@tulane.edu
“Growing up in an Indian family fostered my love for treating food as medicine and as a result of my service experiences, I have become passionate about improving access to nutrition education and nutritious foods. Learning to cook from my mother not only kept me connected to Indian culture but also taught me about the various health benefits of the spices we used every day. I am excited to be part of the Culinary Medicine Society because the teaching kitchen is a unique meeting place for the community and future medical professionals to learn from each other!”
Arriel Shirazi
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: ashiraz@tulane.edu
“My love for cooking stems from the role food plays in bringing my family together at the end of the week to share stories, laugh, and celebrate life. CMS creates the perfect recipe by combining medical student education with community engagement to empower a healthier generation in New Orleans. I am excited to join the team and build a culture of healthy, creative, and delicious eating in the New Orleans community!”
Brianne Futa
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: bfuta@tulane.edu
“Growing up, my mom was always in the kitchen cooking or baking for us. She was always trying new recipes, and as I grew older, I started to learn from her too. Cooking is now something I enjoy doing in my free time, and I truly believe that food has the power to connect people. I hope to become more engaged with the community through this role and show others how enjoyable cooking can be.”
Abigail Mohr
Service Learning Coordinator
Email: amohr@tulane.edu
“The majority of a person’s life is spent planning, cooking, and consuming food, and I want to ensure that this is both a fun and nutritious experience for each of my future patients! I hail from the Southeast part of the U.S., where it is nearly impossible to connect with friends and neighbors outside of an eating context. My goal is to give people the ability to create delicious and healthy meals to share with those they love so that we can create stronger and happier communities! One cannot expect to practice good medicine without a solid understanding of the effects of diet on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing.”
Alison Mortemore
Service Learning Coordinator
Email: amortemore@tulane.edu
“After graduating from the University of Cincinnati I got involved in food science education when I had the opportunity to teach a group of 5th graders about healthy food choices and food science. During that process, I learned how much I enjoyed following recipes, trying new foods, and how ingrained in our culture that food is. The belief that food impacts our health is something I strongly believe and I hope to educate communities about food throughout my medical education and eventually as a practicing physician. When I’m not actively stress baking to ease my med school anxieties, I enjoy spending time outside and my dog Blu.”
Grace Tanguilig
Kids Programming Coordinator
Email: gtanguilig@tulane.edu
“I grew up in a house where we couldn’t leave the dinner table without eating our nightly fruits and vegetables. Our summers were spent tending the family garden and finding new ways to prepare our overflowing stores of fresh produce. Later on, public health classes in college taught me how lack of access to these nutrients has major impacts on community health, and when I researched Tulane I knew I wanted to be involved with the GCCM. During the pandemic, I loved experimenting with healthy cooking, and I’m thrilled to be part of this team and share my love of delicious food!”
Steve Zeldin
Kids Programming Coordinator
Email: szeldin@tulane.edu
“I have been cooking with my mom ever since I was a child, and it is a huge part of my life. I think cooking healthy and fantastic meals should be an enjoyable aspect of everyone’s life. I joined Teaching Kitchen because mealtimes are the best time to bond with those around you, and I want to spread my love of cooking with others.”
2021-2022 Leadership
Marissa Tucci
President
Email: mtucci@tulane.edu
“The importance of nutrition in medicine is commonly overlooked by the medical school curriculum, physicians, and the general population. The Teaching Kitchen is unique in its ability to educate both future medical professions and the community about the intersections of nutrition, population health, and medicine. When I interned with GCCM as an undergraduate student, I discovered my passion for public health nutrition, and I aim to continue incorporating it into my medical education and future practice. As president of the Culinary Medicine Society, I hope to share this enthusiasm with my classmates and advocate for improved nutritional education for medical students. Most of all, I want to help emphasize that nutritious foods can also be delicious foods!”
Lawrence Bacudio
Treasurer
Email: lbacudio@tulane.edu
Lawrence is a first-year MD student at Tulane. He earned his Bachelor’s in Public Health in Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His interests include weightlifting, traveling, hiking, and photography. He loves to cook all sorts of Asian cuisine including soondubu jjigae (kimchi tofu stew), okonomiyaki, and Thai curry. He also dabbles in baking and enjoys making ube cake, Pasteis de Nata (Portuguese egg tarts), and Levain-style cookies. He enjoys teaching the community affordable yet healthy cooking that is not only fun but also easy to accomplish.
Anna Alvarado
Secretary/Social Media Coordinator
Email: aalvarado1@tulane.edu
Hey everyone! My name is Anna Alvarado and I am the new co-secretary for the Teaching Kitchen/Culinary Medicine Society. I had the pleasure of volunteering with the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine prior to COVID-19 and fell in love with the work that they do with the community, both within the kitchen and outside. Working with fellow community members and partners inspired me to become more involved with GCCM and continue to advocate for improving the health of our community through the joys of cooking and food.
Elsie Zhao
Secretary/Social Media Coordinator
Email: yzhao21@tulane.edu
“I think food has the magic to heal: no matter it is after a bad or a cold rainy day, or it is when you miss your family a little extra, a nice meal can cheer you up. By being part of the Culinary Medicine Society, I’d love to share my passion for food with others and in the meantime learning how to be an advocate for healthy eating.”
Kavita Patwardhan
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: kpatwardhan@tulane.edu
“I come from a family of physicians so my exposure to medicine, and the lifestyle that comes with it, started at an early age. Pagers and intermittent phone calls were staples at home, but despite my parents’ hectic schedules, we always came together for meals, no matter the day. Food brought us together every night and gave us the chance to reconnect with each other after spending hours apart. That simple ritual nurtured my love for food and taught me how to connect with others over something familiar and comforting. I joined the Teaching Kitchen Board because I want to share that love with my community and help inspire unity through food.”
Lauren Mueller
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: lmueller2@tulane.edu
Lauren is a first-year MD/MBA student from central Illinois. Some of her favorite dishes to cook include garlic shrimp and jalapeño turkey burgers. She loves trying new recipes, exploring New Orleans, and listening to podcasts. She joined the Teaching Kitchen Board because she believes healthy eating, especially eaten with friends and family, is the best preventative medicine.
Rohit Rao
Community Outreach Coordinator
Email: rrao4@tulane.edu
“Cooking has always been one of my creative releases when I’m stressed. I joined the Culinary Medicine Society to combine cooking with my public health interests to be able to engage with the community on healthier eating and lifestyles.”
Tuhin Choudhary
Service Learning Coordinator
Email: tchoudhary@tulane.edu
“I consider myself to be a “foodie” and I love trying different cuisines from all over the world. Food and culture are interconnected with one another and I really believe in the importance of healthy eating. I believe the Teaching Kitchen does a great job in working with the New Orleans community and educating students at TUSOM and I’m excited to be a part of the team!”
Tom Eggers
Service Learning Coordinator
Email: teggers@tulane.edu
“Food has always been a passion of mine, from watching cooking TV as a child to experimenting with new cuisines. I find that food is more than just sustenance, it’s art, medicine, and a stress reliever. I wanted to be part of the Culinary Medicine Society Board so that I could help show others the benefits of knowing how to cook delicious and healthy meals.”
Mariel Colon-Leyva
Kids Programming Coordinator
Email: mcolonleyva@tulane.edu
“I’ve always seen food as something that brings people together. From a really early age, my grandmother showed me how food can be a way to demonstrate love and care to both yourself and those that surround you, and I’ve always thought that to be kind of beautiful. I wanted to join the Teaching Kitchen Board so as to further explore that relationship that we foster with food and how it can be both healthy and enjoyable.”
Kevin Marzotto
Kids Programming Coordinator
Email: kmarzotto@tulane.edu
“I grew up learning how to cook from my grandparents and the time we spent together over homecooked meals created memories that I will always cherish. I decided to become involved in the TK because I believe cooking is an amazing way for people to connect with each other and learning how to do so in a healthier manner will help us all lead healthier and happier lives, filled with delicious food!”
