The Paula Mee Applied Culinary Nutrition Memorial Award 2023 - Applied Culinary Nutrition Innovations in the Workplace
Winner: John Core, Sodexo
Chef John Core graduate of TU Dublin’s MSc in Applied Culinary Nutrition and culinary nutrition lead at Sodexo Ireland has won the inaugural Paula Mee Applied Culinary Nutrition Memorial Award. The award was announced at a celebratory lunch in the Conrad Hotel Dublin, attended by the six finalists and invited guests. “This award recognises excellence and showcases the application of culinary nutrition by graduates of the MSc in Applied Culinary Nutrition, in their workplace, in their professional activities/ research. It honours Paula’s passion for nutrition and the importance she placed on learning and sharing knowledge” said Annette Sweeney (Programme lead of the MSc).
John’s entry focused on his how he is applying his culinary nutrition knowledge to promote optimum nutrition in a sedentary workforce through talks, monthly blogs, drop-in clinics to discuss healthy eating and cooking techniques, nutrition-led pop-up food concepts and recipe reformulation of existing recipes to include more nutrient-dense ingredients without compromising on flavour, mouthfeel, or visual appeal. He has designed meal plans based on the Mediterranean diet, to encourage healthier eating patterns among Sodexo staff, an initiative that is now being migrated and rebranded via an online portal to support all Sodexo employees. While his work to date has impacted the workplace population it has also influenced Sodexo to focus on a nutrition-led approach for the thousands of people they serve daily in Ireland and the UK.
Accepting the award John Core expressed his gratitude for the impact that Paula and the masters programme has had on his career as a chef, and influence that has empowered and inspired him to pioneer new pathways for health through culinary nutrition, within Sodexo, a national workplace catering company.
The independent judging panel members Dr Aileen Mc Gloin (Director of Nutrition, Safefood) Nuala Collins (FSAI Reformulation Task force), Sylvia Thompson (The Irish Times), Dr Linda Shiue (USA) and Joshna Maharaj (Toronto), commended all finalists on the valuable contribution they are making to the health of others through their work.
About the Award
This award was launched in April 2023 in memory of Paula Mee (RD) a highly regarded lecturer and colleague, who lectured on the MSc in Applied Culinary Nutrition in TU Dublin, Tallaght and who died in December 2022. The ethos of the programme and its research activity is focused on empowering students and graduates to creatively and confidently apply their learning to innovate food for health and wellness, in line with current food and dietary trends. Paula was passionate about the applied activities of the graduates of the programme and their importance in making a difference to the nutritional health of others.