Advocate Health Care’s First Teaching Kitchen Opens

New “Food as Medicine” initiative combines hands-on cooking, nutrition education and fresh farm-grown ingredients to support healthier living

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Advocate Health Care’s First Teaching Kitchen Opens

CHICAGO, June 25, 2026 – Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is cooking up a new way to support healthier living with the launch of a teaching kitchen focused on nutrition education and wellness. The space is the first of its kind within the Advocate Health Care system and is designed to extend nutrition guidance beyond hospital walls through hands-on cooking experiences.

“Nutrition and lifestyle changes can play an important role in managing chronic conditions and improving health outcomes,” said Dr. Lori Walsh, an integrative medicine physician at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. “This unique program helps patients put that guidance into practice by learning how to prepare meals they can use at home to support their care.”

The Advocate Good Shepherd Teaching Kitchen will provide patients, caregivers and community members with in-person and virtual cooking and nutrition classes designed to turn healthy eating guidance into everyday habits. The initiative builds on the hospital’s broader “Food as Medicine” efforts, including the Smart Farm, Food Farmacy and other community wellness programs that expand access to nutrition education and resources.

New “Food as Medicine” initiative combines hands-on cooking, nutrition education and fresh farm-grown ingredients to support healthier living

Led by a chef, registered dietitians and clinical experts, the kitchen will offer:

  • Interactive cooking demonstrations
  • Nutrition education classes
  • Wellness workshops focused on prevention and chronic disease management, including heart health, diabetes, weight management and cancer survivorship nutrition.

“We believe health extends far beyond the hospital,” said Dasha Gorkov, chief operating officer, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. “The Teaching Kitchen provides a welcoming space where people can build confidence in preparing healthy meals, learn practical nutrition strategies and gain skills that support lifelong wellness. It is an important extension of our commitment to improving the health of the communities we serve.”

Those interested in signing up for a class can visit AdvocateHealth.com/classes-events. The Advocate Good Shepherd Teaching Kitchen is located at 27546 W. State Route 22 in Lake Barrington, Illinois.

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About Advocate Health Care

Advocate Health Care is the largest health system in Illinois, serving patients across 11 hospitals, including two children’s campuses and more than 200 sites of care. Advocate Health Care is committed to continuously advancing how care is connected and delivered — ensuring access to high-quality, coordinated services for all. It is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States. Advocate Health is a preeminent academic health system at the forefront of clinical excellence, innovation and research, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as its academic core. Nationally recognized for expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, Advocate Health is also a pioneer in the delivery of virtual health care. It’s accelerating discovery by making research participation part of the standard-of-care through its one-of-a-kind National Center for Clinical Trials, plus two affiliated life-sciences-focused innovation districts and one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs. With more than 165,000 teammates serving patients at 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations across seven states, Advocate Health reinvests over $6 billion each year to improve community health, making it one of the nation’s largest providers of community benefit.