Inside Duke Medicine

Mind your food

Hungry employees at Duke University Medical Center have more and more lunch options these days, with new eateries popping up each month up and down Erwin Road – burritos, noodles, crepes, doughnuts, sushi, burgers and more.

Head down the hill a bit further and turn into the Center for Living Campus to find a hidden-away gem – the café at Duke Integrative Medicine Center, where Chef Cate Smith prepares nutritious, delicious meals from local, organic produce. The Friday buffet, $9 for Duke employees, is a good time to experience what Smith does with local produce, and to learn about the Center’s efforts to promote better health and weight loss through mindful eating.

“People always say, ‘Grandma’s food tasted better,’” says Smith. “That’s because moms and grandmas put love into their food, and paid attention to nurturing their families.” We share a laugh over that wonderful scene from the movie Ratatouille: caustic restaurant critic Anton Ego, tasting Chef Remy’s take on the classic country casserole, is transported back to his childhood home and mom’s comfort food.

Trained in music education, Smith decided after college that food was her true passion. She apprenticed for chefs and caterers and hotel food service in and around Roanoke, VA., working her way up the kitchen ladder to chef de cuisine and executive chef. But battling and surviving cancer “changed my eating habits,” she says, helping her recognize the connections between her diet and her health.

When she learned about Duke Integrative Medicine and its approach to whole health, she jumped at the opportunity to be the first chef in the welcoming new building. “This was the job I had to have.”

Mindful eating seems simple enough: Put down your fork after your first bite, Smith suggests. Savor the flavors. Listen to your body and what it’s telling you about when to stop eating – especially hard to do with a plate of Smith’s delicious baked sweet potato fries with side of honey or the grilled vegetable wrap in front of you.

“When I’m on the line, this is my office,” Smith says, sweeping her arm to take in the café’s floor-to-ceiling windows and landscaped patio. Soon, 60 diners will make their way through the space, minding their manners, speaking softly and savoring their every bite.

Chef Smith offers a cooking class each Monday, 4–5:30pm, $25. Integrative Medicine is also offering an eight-session Mindfulness Practices course, Monday evenings in September and October, to help people lose weight by learning to pay attention to body signals and emotional states. For more information, call 684-9901.