Salad Dressing Taste Off - Food and Health Communications

Sheila Rodriguez, CHES, Del Sol LifeCare Center in Texas had a "Salad Dressing Taste-Off" recently. She purchased about 10 commercial low-fat and nonfat salad dressings.

The contents were poured into numbered anonymous containers. Throughout the day, a huge bowl of mixed salad greens was available along with containers of raw vegetables. Everything was kept properly chilled. Ballots were available where individuals could rank their first, second, and third choices. Sheila then tallied the ballots at the end of the day and made a poster announcing the winners. It was displayed, along with the empty bottles, so people could see the labels. Sheila also had handouts with healthy homemade salad dressing recipes and ideas for healthy salads.

Judy Doherty

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Art, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, 2 art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography studio where her love is creating fun recipes.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest in nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.