Harvard University Dining Services and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health hosted “The Mediterranean and Greek Diet: From Research to Plate” on March 17.
The invitation-only program, attended by the consul general for Greece in Boston, faculty and researchers from Harvard Medical School and HSPH, peers from Boston-area university hospitality and dining programs, food distributors and manufacturers, as well as Harvard community members with an interest in Greek culture, featured brief dynamic presentations followed by a unique culinary tasting experience.
Smitha Haneef, HUDS’ managing director and co-chair of Harvard Food Systems Initiative, welcomed the guests and emphasized the value every attendee brings along the food systems value chain. Haneef and Stefanos Kales, professor in the Department of Environmental Health at HSPH and professor of medicine at HMS, partnered to bring this event as an educational, experiential, and engaging learning session about healthy diets from sustainable food systems.
Kales then shared with the group opportunities to learn more about traditional Greek culture and Mediterranean lifestyle through the Hellenic Center for Excellence in Health & Wellness, a nonprofit, and its affiliated annual lifestyle conference combining state-of-the-art academics with immersion experiences in select Greek locales.
Haneef framed for the audience the opportunity high volume food service entities have to influence the long-term dietary choices and lifestyle of the community it feeds through programming, purchasing and menu choices. One such highlight was HUDS’ Fresh Catch program, which sources underutilized fish species from Boston day-boat fishermen for HUDS’ menus.
Finally, Demetrios Kalaitzidakis, operations director for Grecotel, shared efforts in the Region of Crete and Grecotel to preserve traditional gastronomy and food patterns.
The event concluded with a series of dishes prepared by the Grecotel executive chef and HUDS culinary team to demonstrate healthy and traditional Cretan dishes, which emphasize preparations featuring authentic Greek ingredients such as local vegetables, legumes, olive oil and herbs, dairy products like Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheeses and yogurts and lean, pasture-raised proteins.
HUDS chefs will also explore the opportunity to add these traditional recipes to their hospitality and dining menus.
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