Two words come to mind to describe the first MDR – educational and inspirational, as well as a wonderful opportunity for networking. I learned so much more about the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet and additional attributes of some of the main components such as olive oil. I came away from the Summit wanting to implement even more Mediterranean concepts on our menu.

Mediterranean Diet Roundtable provides a forum for operators, researchers, growers and manufactures with focus on cuisines and food that is not only seductive and delicious but also promotes health and wellness. Yale Dining uses these principals in many aspects of its recipe development and menu engineering.

The organizers did a masterful job, bringing together a varied group of people, to tell an interesting and inspiring story of bringing the good health and great tastes of the Mediterranean Diet to new audiences.

The agenda provided an excellent mix of scientific research, culinary overviews and practical application case studies, all focused on the role that traditional Mediterranean regional cuisines can play in a healthy diet. I particularly liked the scientific overviews of recent research and the noncommercial market segment case studies that showed how these principles can be adapted for large-volume meal production in real life circumstances.

For the first time an event gathered professionals from different backgrounds and showed how a Mediterranean diet can be appropriate for a variety of settings. This event showed us that the Mediterranean diet is easy to apply in any setting: from colleges to hospitals, affordable and has the science to back it up. With the right presentation and preparation consumers, students, patients embrace this delicious and healthy eating pattern.

The panelists presentations were on the level expected for the highly educated audience.