Food as Medicine Teaching Kitchen

Students need more than nutrition knowledge; they need opportunities to practice. The Department of Nutrition, Food & Dietetics is planning the next generation of its Nutrition and Food Teaching Kitchen in Mariposa Hall, creating a safer, more accessible and industry-informed environment for hands-on learning.

The kitchen’s current traditional home-style layout limits the number of students who can participate in food preparation and makes it more difficult for faculty to demonstrate techniques, monitor workstations and maintain effective sanitation and safety practices. These challenges are especially timely as NUFD expands practical food education through NUFD 5L: Science of Food Laboratory, a new one-unit General Education course that connects food science and nutrition principles with real-world preparation skills.

Your support will help this immediate need go from a vision to an actionable plan. The campaign seeks to raise $30,000 to support priority needs, which includes upgrading the Nutrition and Food Teaching Kitchen. This project will help to examine the existing space, explore improved layouts and workflows, assess infrastructure and equipment needs, consider audiovisual technology for recording and livestreaming demonstrations, and develop an initial cost estimate for future renovation.

The Department of Nutrition, Food and Dietetics intends to move forward with the project using the funds raised from this campaign. An architectural firm can be selected based on the funding available, which will determine the scope of the feasibility study. This approach will allow the department to make meaningful progress toward a more functional, higher-capacity instructional kitchen while building a foundation for future grants, philanthropic support, and institutional funding and community partnerships. All funds raised above $30,000 will go towards general support of NUFD.

Please make a gift to help The Department of Nutrition, Food, & Dietetics connect nutrition science with the practical skills students needed to prepare healthy, affordable and culturally relevant foods. This project reflects the growing “Food Is Medicine” movement and an important shift in health education.  Together, we can help create a teaching environment that supports student learning today and strengthens opportunities for education, healthcare and community engagement in the future. Thank you for impacting Sacramento State students and the hands-on experiences that help them learn, grow and contribute meaningfully to their communities and professions.

To mail a donation, please mail to: University Foundation at Sacramento State, PO Box 845004 Los Angeles, CA 90084-5004  

Please make your check out to University Foundation at Sacramento State and write "NUFD 2026" in the memo line.

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