Hello everyone! My name is Stephanie Voytek and I live in Trumbull, CT. I’m currently finishing my culinary rotation, which was at the same site as my food service rotation. I’ve gained so many skills here that I’m sad to leave. The best part about these two rotations is that I was able to learn exactly what I wanted to learn and more. I’ve been very determined to gain more cooking skills and let me tell you, grilling 100+ tuna steaks at a time helps you grow skills fast!
Whether you’re applying to an internship or have already been matched, you’re probably thinking “What should my concentration be?” or “What am I trying to get out of this internship?”. In general, dietetic internships provide you with such a variety of experiences. If there is an area you’re interested in exploring, explore it! You won’t regret working it into your internship!
When I was matched with Sodexo I was very conflicted on what concentration I wanted. I can’t remember what I ranked culinary, but when I got the email saying that it was my concentration, I was ecstatic. Prior to starting the internship, I was unsure who I would be as an RD and how I would fit into the field. Ending this rotation I’m so much more confident and excited about my career. It’s kind of overwhelming in the best way!
In this rotation I was able to learn a variety of cooking skills from different chefs and was lucky to have lots of creative freedom at my site. My site allowed me to bring in different foods to incorporate with dishes that our clients loved. Some examples include fiddlehead ferns, watermelon radishes, squash blossoms, garlic scapes, and more! I was also challenged to step outside my comfort zone for my assigned food demos. Sports nutrition is way outside my comfort zone, so to break through this I had to read a lot about sports performance before doing that demo. I even made sushi for my first demo, talk about a challenge! Most importantly, I was able to do what I love during this rotation, which is teach people how to enjoy their vegetables and expose them to new foods.
For part of my culinary rotation, I was required to spend two days with a grocery store RD. Somehow, I was able to stumble upon the perfect person. I’ve spent a few days with a grocery store RD, Courtney Huggins, who spends most of her time doing cooking classes and demos out in the community. She even has a cooking studio in her store. Once a month Courtney does a quick demo on our local news station, so she let me come with her and be on TV. What an experience! After the airing, she said, “The best part about my job is that it’s opening so many doors for me.” What I thought was funny about this was that the whole time I kept thinking, “This internship keeps opening so many doors for me!” You never know who you’ll stumble upon during this internship so be proactive, network, and learn from them!
Whether you’re applying to an internship or have already been matched, you’re probably thinking “What should my concentration be?” or “What am I trying to get out of this internship?”. In general, dietetic internships provide you with such a variety of experiences. If there is an area you’re interested in exploring, explore it! You won’t regret working it into your internship!
When I was matched with Sodexo I was very conflicted on what concentration I wanted. I can’t remember what I ranked culinary, but when I got the email saying that it was my concentration, I was ecstatic. Prior to starting the internship, I was unsure who I would be as an RD and how I would fit into the field. Ending this rotation I’m so much more confident and excited about my career. It’s kind of overwhelming in the best way!
In this rotation I was able to learn a variety of cooking skills from different chefs and was lucky to have lots of creative freedom at my site. My site allowed me to bring in different foods to incorporate with dishes that our clients loved. Some examples include fiddlehead ferns, watermelon radishes, squash blossoms, garlic scapes, and more! I was also challenged to step outside my comfort zone for my assigned food demos. Sports nutrition is way outside my comfort zone, so to break through this I had to read a lot about sports performance before doing that demo. I even made sushi for my first demo, talk about a challenge! Most importantly, I was able to do what I love during this rotation, which is teach people how to enjoy their vegetables and expose them to new foods.
For part of my culinary rotation, I was required to spend two days with a grocery store RD. Somehow, I was able to stumble upon the perfect person. I’ve spent a few days with a grocery store RD, Courtney Huggins, who spends most of her time doing cooking classes and demos out in the community. She even has a cooking studio in her store. Once a month Courtney does a quick demo on our local news station, so she let me come with her and be on TV. What an experience! After the airing, she said, “The best part about my job is that it’s opening so many doors for me.” What I thought was funny about this was that the whole time I kept thinking, “This internship keeps opening so many doors for me!” You never know who you’ll stumble upon during this internship so be proactive, network, and learn from them!
