My Big Idea: Cookbooks Customized for Your Health Needs
Summary
You should have way more support.A cookbook editor, journalist, and innovator with a culinary arts degree, Chavis (MET06) envisions a world where a diagnosis doesnt have to be so devastating to someones diet choices. Recipes reflect a variety of culinary traditionssuch as Cuban black beans and rice, Moroccan chicken with couscous, and seared shrimp with fennel, orange, and red onion saladand all are vetted by a registered dietitian. Currently, the platform supports recipes for common food allergies, heart disease, diabetes, and the DASH diet for high blood pressure. She later shifted gears, leading her own culinary content marketing company for three years before founding LVNGbook in early 2019.For LVNGbooks customer research and marketing strategy, Chavis enlisted the help of fellow gastronomy alum, frequent collaborator, and founder of ShahSquared Consulting, Priya Shah (MET12).Together, Chavis and Shah conducted more than 100 interviews to better understand the culinary and social barriers people living with chronic disease face when trying to make long-term lifestyle changes. Shah: [A lot] has happened culturally in the last two years, [in terms of] finally getting some things talked about in the mainstream media around diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and some of the disparities that have always been there, but were pushed to the forefront.