Potlikker: Food, Memory, and the Art of Nourishment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThursday, November 11, 2026 – Focus:<\/em><\/strong> Physical and Community Well-being<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWHAM invites you to trace the conceptual, cultural, and culinary roots of potlikker. Attendees will explore potlikker as both a food and a metaphor: a concentrated expression of survival, nourishment, memory, and transformation within African American foodways. Drawing on foundational recipes, historical framing, and guiding concepts, Chef Lachelle Cunningham of the Healthy Roots Institute will walk participants through the history and practice of potlikker\u2013one of the most misunderstood and undervalued traditions in Black food culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Register to join us<\/strong><\/a> on Wednesday, November 11, at 11 am in the Kagin Teaching Kitchen<\/strong> for a hands-on culinary education experience where food becomes a tool for learning, healing, culture, and connection. Lunch will not be served at this event, but delicious samples will be provided. This event is limited to the first 30 staff and faculty.\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/wham\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/425\/2026\/10\/Lachelle-Cunningham-1024x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBio: In 2018, Chef Lachelle launched Healthy Roots Institute (HRI)<\/a> for food education, culinary training, and food business support. At The Good Acre (TGA), she led transformative farm-to-school training sessions, and created VoCul\u2014a unique culinary program in 2020. VoCul equips aspiring chefs with skills for scratch cooking, bridging gaps and offering informative and hands-on experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn early 2023, Chef Lachelle’s influence expanded further with the acquisition of City Food Studio\u2014a shared-use commercial kitchen located in the heart of George Floyd Square. This endeavor provides Twin Cities culinary entrepreneurs with a certified food-safe facility to craft and sell their creations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPast Lunch & Learns<\/h2>\n\n\n\nCreatine, Collagen, and Protein Powder: Sorting Science from Hype in the Supplement Aisle<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWednesday, October 14, 2026 – Focus:<\/em><\/strong> Physical Well-being<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/wham\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/425\/2026\/10\/Lauren-Downie-820x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom maintaining muscle health to supporting joint recovery, dietary supplements like protein powder, collagen, and creatine are frequently highlighted in health literature. But which ones are backed by evidence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our next faculty and staff WHAM Lunch and Learn will provide an evidence-based overview of these three key supplements. Our speaker, Lauren Downie, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, will discuss their physiological benefits, address common misconceptions, and provide practical criteria for evaluating product quality and personal suitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bio: Lauren Downie, MS, RDN, LD, CSOWM, is a registered and licensed dietitian. She received her Bachelor’s of Science with Emphasis in Dietetics degree from Min<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n5 Ways to Prevent Colon Cancer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWednesday, September 23, 2026 – Focus: Physical Well-being<\/em><\/strong> & Cancer Prevention<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Colon cancer rates are rising, particularly among younger adults, making prevention and early detection more important than ever. Join WHAM for our first lunch and learn of the semester with Registered Dietitian Ashley Oswald as she explores current colon cancer trends, recommended screening options, and five evidence-based nutrition + lifestyle strategies that may help reduce risk. Attendees will leave with practical, actionable steps to support long-term colon and digestive health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bio:<\/strong> Ashley Oswald is a holistic and functional medicine dietitian. She trained at a Harvard teaching hospital, serves on the teaching faculty at the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy, and is the founder and CEO of Oswald Digestive Clinic. She brings 15 years of experience across diverse areas of healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs a teenager, Ashley was put on and off of antibiotics for 10 years for acne, which led to gut issues. Due to this experience, she became a leading expert in gut health, and thus decided to specialize and open Oswald Digestive Clinic in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/wham\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/425\/2026\/08\/Ashley-Oswald-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAshley and her team at Oswald Digestive Clinic have on average 7 years of formal schooling in nutrition science, and have helped thousands of client improve + eliminate bothersome gut issues, from simple problems, to medical mysteries that have stumped their doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They take a science-based, root cause\/holistic\/functional nutrition approach, and can help with IBS, Crohn’s, UC, SIBO, food sensitivities, autoimmune issues, GERD, histamine intolerance, brain fog, chronic fatigue, skin conditions like acne + eczema, anxiety or mood concerns related to gut-brain axis, & more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota\u2013Twin Cities and completed her post-graduate training at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital in Boston. She also has an advanced training credential in functional medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside of her work in the US medical system, Ashley enjoys exploring ancient healing modalities from around the world, and has begun to study filmmaking as a way to share about these modalities in an engaging format. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nInviting Insight: Cultivating Wisdom and Well-being in Troubling Times<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWednesday, April 22, 2026 – Focus: Mental and Spiritual Well-being<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nDrawing from the work of social, psychological and educational theorists, philosophers, practitioners and activists; and spanning both eastern and western spiritual traditions; insight<\/strong> is defined as the capacity to suspend habits of thought and emotion, thereby enhancing receptivity and heightening awareness, that leads to deeper understanding, personal well-being and enriched relationships<\/em>. It is, in effect, a \u2018way of knowing\u2019 that can be developed by all people. In times of crisis, insight serves as a critical personal and societal resource. During this session, we will explore practical strategies shown to assist individuals in cultivating insight to enrich their own lives and the lives of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRuthanne Kurth-Schai has recently completed nearly 40 years of teaching, scholarship and service at Macalester College, including 30 years as chair of the Educational Studies Department. Throughout her time at Macalester, her work on campus, in the community, across the U.S and abroad, has been enriched by intensive study and teaching of tai chi and qigong through the Tilopa Tai Chi\/Qigong Center in Minneapolis, in addition to study and practice of Buddhist approaches to insight meditation both locally and in Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WHAM invites you to trace the conceptual, cultural, and culinary roots of potlikker. Attendees will explore potlikker as both a food and a metaphor: a concentrated expression of survival, nourishment, memory, and transformation within African American foodways. Drawing on foundational recipes, historical framing, and guiding concepts, Chef Lachelle Cunningham of the Healthy Roots Institute will walk participants through the history and practice of potlikker\u2013one of the most misunderstood and undervalued traditions in Black food culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Register to join us<\/strong><\/a> on Wednesday, November 11, at 11 am in the Kagin Teaching Kitchen<\/strong> for a hands-on culinary education experience where food becomes a tool for learning, healing, culture, and connection. Lunch will not be served at this event, but delicious samples will be provided. This event is limited to the first 30 staff and faculty.\u00a0 Bio: In 2018, Chef Lachelle launched Healthy Roots Institute (HRI)<\/a> for food education, culinary training, and food business support. At The Good Acre (TGA), she led transformative farm-to-school training sessions, and created VoCul\u2014a unique culinary program in 2020. VoCul equips aspiring chefs with skills for scratch cooking, bridging gaps and offering informative and hands-on experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In early 2023, Chef Lachelle’s influence expanded further with the acquisition of City Food Studio\u2014a shared-use commercial kitchen located in the heart of George Floyd Square. This endeavor provides Twin Cities culinary entrepreneurs with a certified food-safe facility to craft and sell their creations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday, October 14, 2026 – Focus:<\/em><\/strong> Physical Well-being<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n From maintaining muscle health to supporting joint recovery, dietary supplements like protein powder, collagen, and creatine are frequently highlighted in health literature. But which ones are backed by evidence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our next faculty and staff WHAM Lunch and Learn will provide an evidence-based overview of these three key supplements. Our speaker, Lauren Downie, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, will discuss their physiological benefits, address common misconceptions, and provide practical criteria for evaluating product quality and personal suitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bio: Lauren Downie, MS, RDN, LD, CSOWM, is a registered and licensed dietitian. She received her Bachelor’s of Science with Emphasis in Dietetics degree from Min<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday, September 23, 2026 – Focus: Physical Well-being<\/em><\/strong> & Cancer Prevention<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Colon cancer rates are rising, particularly among younger adults, making prevention and early detection more important than ever. Join WHAM for our first lunch and learn of the semester with Registered Dietitian Ashley Oswald as she explores current colon cancer trends, recommended screening options, and five evidence-based nutrition + lifestyle strategies that may help reduce risk. Attendees will leave with practical, actionable steps to support long-term colon and digestive health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bio:<\/strong> Ashley Oswald is a holistic and functional medicine dietitian. She trained at a Harvard teaching hospital, serves on the teaching faculty at the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy, and is the founder and CEO of Oswald Digestive Clinic. She brings 15 years of experience across diverse areas of healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a teenager, Ashley was put on and off of antibiotics for 10 years for acne, which led to gut issues. Due to this experience, she became a leading expert in gut health, and thus decided to specialize and open Oswald Digestive Clinic in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashley and her team at Oswald Digestive Clinic have on average 7 years of formal schooling in nutrition science, and have helped thousands of client improve + eliminate bothersome gut issues, from simple problems, to medical mysteries that have stumped their doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They take a science-based, root cause\/holistic\/functional nutrition approach, and can help with IBS, Crohn’s, UC, SIBO, food sensitivities, autoimmune issues, GERD, histamine intolerance, brain fog, chronic fatigue, skin conditions like acne + eczema, anxiety or mood concerns related to gut-brain axis, & more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota\u2013Twin Cities and completed her post-graduate training at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital in Boston. She also has an advanced training credential in functional medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of her work in the US medical system, Ashley enjoys exploring ancient healing modalities from around the world, and has begun to study filmmaking as a way to share about these modalities in an engaging format. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday, April 22, 2026 – Focus: Mental and Spiritual Well-being<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Drawing from the work of social, psychological and educational theorists, philosophers, practitioners and activists; and spanning both eastern and western spiritual traditions; insight<\/strong> is defined as the capacity to suspend habits of thought and emotion, thereby enhancing receptivity and heightening awareness, that leads to deeper understanding, personal well-being and enriched relationships<\/em>. It is, in effect, a \u2018way of knowing\u2019 that can be developed by all people. In times of crisis, insight serves as a critical personal and societal resource. During this session, we will explore practical strategies shown to assist individuals in cultivating insight to enrich their own lives and the lives of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruthanne Kurth-Schai has recently completed nearly 40 years of teaching, scholarship and service at Macalester College, including 30 years as chair of the Educational Studies Department. Throughout her time at Macalester, her work on campus, in the community, across the U.S and abroad, has been enriched by intensive study and teaching of tai chi and qigong through the Tilopa Tai Chi\/Qigong Center in Minneapolis, in addition to study and practice of Buddhist approaches to insight meditation both locally and in Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPast Lunch & Learns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Creatine, Collagen, and Protein Powder: Sorting Science from Hype in the Supplement Aisle<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n5 Ways to Prevent Colon Cancer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nInviting Insight: Cultivating Wisdom and Well-being in Troubling Times<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/wham\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/425\/2025\/11\/anderson-paul-7132-240x240-103101.png\")
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