Kendall College at National Louis University Instructor Thomas Meyer began a new teaching series last month for the Gold Medal Classroom on how aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion have informed his and his colleagues’ teaching methods. He believes fostering a sense of belonging and inclusiveness directly leads to student success. Read on to discover how students with dietary, allergy and religious food restrictions can become well-rounded budding chefs with the ability to help enlighten classmates about the restrictions.

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Facing difficult teaching situations – like making fair and equitable assessments and appropriately respecting religious and personal beliefs - challenges culinary instructors.

I was forwarded this question from Maureen LaSalle, Culinary Arts and Hospitality chair at Southern Maine Community College:

“In our culinary arts program, we are experiencing more and more students who come to us with restrictions for what they can and cannot eat. How do you handle this? For example, someone who is a vegan won't eat certain things which means they are not tasting. Sometimes they don't want to touch the product. You cannot force them, so how do you grade and assess their knowledge? Another area is religious restrictions. Have you had someone that cannot taste or cook with pork? How do you handle this? Do you substitute or just excuse them from this content area?”

Here at Kendall College, we treat a student’s religious beliefs, allergy and intolerance to foods, and personal restrictions such as veganism or vegetarianism differently from a student who does not like something or does not want to touch or handle a certain food item.

Students with restricted diets based on religious beliefs, allergies or intolerances are asked to inform their advisor of the restrictions when enrolling in a course. From there, the advisor informs the dean, who then informs the instructor of the situation. The instructor is responsible for whatever accommodation is necessary. Any substitution must fit within the lesson plan and objectives. Communicating with the students is vitally important in these situations.

For religious restrictions, the purchasing of Halal-processed meat or substituting another protein may be a solution. Kendall College has made it a point to have Halal-processed meat available to instructors facing these situations.

Allergies can be more challenging. Directly communicating with the student is important to understand the degree of the allergy or tolerance. If a student cannot be in the proximity of a certain product, then he or she may need to move to another classroom kitchen and be assigned another task with a different food item that still meets the day’s lesson objective. In extreme situations, a student may be given an excused absence for the day and instead must complete a written assignment covering the day’s lesson.

Veganism, vegetarianism or plant-based diets have moved into our mainstream culture. Plant-based food items have become widely available to substitute into learning objectives. The instructor, when given enough notice, could adjust the products required for the objectives to accommodate students who follow certain diets.

Lastly, for students who don’t want to touch, handle or taste a certain food because they do not like it, communication is key. It is essential to explain that in the food industry they will be faced with situations they may not like but the job and task still need to be completed. An instructor needs to convey how necessary learning new tastes and exploring different foods will be for their future, even if they don’t like it now.

I also have turned a dietary restriction into an educational opportunity by asking the student with the restriction to educate me and their classmates about the restriction. That may include teaching about their beliefs, culture, diet, and different ways around certain food restrictions. Another tactic I have used is having the student create and plan their own menu including recipes and requisition lists. The student then presents their menu including how and why the items were selected. The results have been very rewarding, not only for me as an instructor but for the students who are given the opportunity to express themselves, their culture, and their beliefs. It gives the student a sense of belonging, knowing their beliefs are respected.

Click here to read last month’s article by Chef Meyer for the Gold Medal Classroom, “Inclusiveness across cultural, racial and socioeconomic levels leads to better student outcomes.”