STAR Health crowns local food champions at 'Nutritious Newark Cook-Off'

2:49 p.m., March 1, 2016--Newark area restaurants served up their healthiest creations at “The Nutritious Newark Cook-Off” held recently at the Health Sciences Complex at the University of Delaware’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus.

Each restaurant was paired with a UD dietitian who worked with local chefs to vet the meals. 

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More than 500 visitors sauntered through the facility, stopping at restaurants’ tables, and also at College of Health Sciences’ clinics and labs. 

In the spirit of an election year, attendees voted for their favorite items. Participating restaurants included Newark Natural Foods Café, Home Grown Café, Santa Fe Mexican Grill, Caffé Gelato, Del Pez Mexican Gastropub, The Bistro at Marriott’s Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware, and UD’s own GoBabyGo Café. 

When the ballot boxes were full, Santa Fe Mexican Grill (Best Presentation), Home Grown Café (Most Creative), and the grand prize winner, The Bistro, (Tastiest Food in Newark) reigned supreme. 

The Bistro’s chef Mark Chopko, sous chef Jeff Brittingham and team leader Greg Dedmon won the crowd over with a kale, quinoa and butternut squash salad with pears, almonds, dried cranberries and Tessemae’s honey balsamic dressing. 

In addition to sampling the nutritious menu items, many attendees received free health screenings, including total and HDL cholesterol, glucose, A1c and blood pressure. 

The event was hosted by STAR Health, which is the public-facing health care entity of UD’s College of Health Sciences. 

Attendees explored STAR Health’s clinics, including the Nurse Managed Primary Care Center, Delaware Physical Therapy Clinic and Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic. 

“The STAR Health Nutritious Newark Cook Off was a wonderful example of community partnership. We teamed with local restaurants to put a fun spin on health,” said Michael Smith, director of strategic initiatives for the College of Health Sciences. “We hope the community will come back and help prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals by focusing on their health and wellness.”

Article by Dante LaPenta

Photos by Duane Perry and courtesy of the College of Health Sciences