Food & Nutrition Scholar
I began to write this post at the airport, waiting for a very delayed flight (thanks, United) to start boarding and take me back to New Orleans. I should feel tired. As the airport shops close, the reality of the hour – close to 10pm – hits me. Yet, I feel energized and inspired. So … Continue reading Seeds of Collaboration: Insights from a Food Justice Gathering
We are proud to be sharing this new publication from our project director, Prof. Melissa Fuster, as part of part of Frontiers in Public Health special collection which highlights experts’ opinions in public health and nutrition: emerging issues in the field. This opinion piece presents ongoing culinary innovations, particularly within Latin American restaurants which signifies […] … Continue reading New Publication: Promoting Health Equity through Innovative Collaborations with Restaurants (Opinion Piece) — LARiAProject
Originally posted on LARiAProject:
Last week, we had our first community engagement event in New Orleans: a design thinking breakfast! These events are hosted by Tulane University’s Taylor Center, as informal and playful community-building spaces for experimenting with design, design thinking, and related methods for social impact. We spent the morning at Fritai, a Haitian…
This post is to celebrate a new publication: Promoting healthy eating in Latin American restaurants. The article presents the findings from our initial listening sessions with Latin American restaurant stakeholders for my restaurant research project. Our efforts began almost two years ago, in the fall of 2020, after the first summer of COVID-19. Working with … Continue reading New Publication: Results from our restaurant listening sessions
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of spending virtual time with my colleague, Dr. Jackie Rohel, talking about my book, Caribeños at the Table, and my current work with the LARiA Project. The conversation was for the What to Read Now episode, as part of the Gastronomica Special Podcast Dispatches in collaboration with Heritage Radio … Continue reading My Podcast Interview with Gastronomica: Sharing link and our work
As the summer begins to wind down, so is my time in New York City. In the coming months, I will be moving to New Orleans, as an Associate Professor at Tulane University! I arrived in New York City in 2015, as a Provost Faculty Fellow in Food Studies at New York University – my … Continue reading Summer Transitions: New position!
Originally posted on LARiAProject:
As we continue to wrap up our listening sessions with restaurants, our team has been spending quality time with restaurant menus, learning about food offerings in Latin American restaurants from different angles. We wanted to take note of the kinds of offerings that already exist, including healthier offerings and innovative takes…
I am happy to share my latest publication, Facilitating Healthier Eating at Restaurants: A Multidisciplinary Scoping Review Comparing Strategies, Barriers, Motivators, and Outcomes by Restaurant Type and Initiator. This publication was motivated by the need to better understand if and how restaurants have been engaging in strategies that could potentially result in healthier eating. Public … Continue reading Learning from the Literature: Results from our Scoping Review
Originally posted on LARiAProject:
We are thrilled about this article published in this month’s Brooklyn College Magazine, “Resiliency Issue.” The piece profiles our project director, Dr. Melissa Fuster, talking about the motivation behind this work, plus two members of our research team: Tara Frank and Elise Harrison. We are thankful for this spotlight, and to…
Last March, when I drafted my dispatch for Gastronomica’s special edition on Food in Times of COVID-19, I wrote from a place of uncertainty. My article, Community Health Research, Restaurants, and Adjusting amid Uncertainty, documented my nostalgia for restaurants and the abrupt pause in my restaurant-focused study. I concluded the article with a look to … Continue reading Introducing LARiA (and a new website look!)
Melissa Fuster, PhD 