Assistant Director, Health and Sustainability Program; The Culinary Institute of America; Arcata, CA

Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RDN is a culinary nutrition and food systems expert with passions that have led her many places – from leading UC Berkeley study abroad programs on traditional diets and sustainable food systems in Greece to working on public health campaigns and exploring the foodways of Oaxaca, Mexico. Currently Kristen acts as assistant director of health & sustainability programs for The Center for Food & Beverage Leadership at the Culinary Institute of America. She was originally connected to the Culinary Institute when spending time as a visiting researcher at the Nordic Food Lab in Copenhagen, Denmark, an interdisciplinary research organization with a focus on delicious, sustainable, healthy, and innovative cuisine based in tradition. She is a teaching faculty member at UC Berkeley and Cal Poly Humboldt, past adjunct faculty at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, and owner of Rooted Food LLC, a culinary and environmental nutrition consulting company where she helps implement plant-based, stem-to-root menu revamps in local restaurants and national organizations. Additionally, Kristen is a co-investigator of Berkeley Open Source Food, a non-profit dedicated to increasing availability and consumption of wild edible plants through research, education, and outreach. As a chef who is forever experimenting, she previously spearheaded her own “West Coast Nordic” pop-ups that were featured in the San Francisco Chronicle. Kristen is devoted to promoting traditional food culture and inspiring people to appreciate ingredients and eating practices that they didn’t know they were missing. Follow Kristen @rootedfood. She’s probably thinking about her next meal. (Arcata, CA)