Members of the Manhattan chapter of the NKBA were inspired by an innovative and in-depth discussion dedicated to designing kitchens for balanced living through nutrition, psychology and the built environment. This presentation was held at the incredible (and edible) GrowNYC space, that radiates the green based experience in the middle of a bustling New York City block.
The symposium consisted of a 3-part series including, Designing Healthy Food Environments, Building Blocks for Healthier Environments and concluded with Technology and the Well Designed Kitchen, with breaks for delicious food offerings by Provence Meals. (with a shout out to the hazelnut muffin)
Anja Mikic, from the International Well Building Institute, lead the way with the Healthy Food portion of the event. Her considerable knowledge of health and wellness, thru being a WELL AP as well as LEED certified, was quite evident when discussing healthy food promotion and the medical and scientific studies proving their necessity. The wealth of Anja's knowledge about healthy eating was the perfect segue to the presentation of the preparation of food in a kitchen built with wellness in mind. Leslie Gustafson and Giselle Ulmo, Co-founders of Partners in Living Well, roused the audience with quick stretching exercise before sitting back in their seats for an insightful presentation focusing on kitchen design solutions for the built environment... starting from demolition and bringing the kitchen into the future. The audience was excited and questions were abundant, but there was still one portion of the program to go and Scott Koehler had a lot of amazing information about current and future technology to share with the audience of designers, architects and manufactures. One thing is for sure, technology for the kitchen and home has come a long way and it will be going a lot further in years to come (ok, that was two things, but this technology stuff is really mind blowing).
All in all, a well attended Symposium and a lot of new conversations started. Live WELL!
I was honored to both present and attend........
