The Charger Blog
Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26, a nutrition sciences major, sat down with Maggie Lyon Ӱԭ18, RD-CDN, her culinary nutrition professor. A University alum who is passionate about nutrition and forensic science, Prof. Lyon decided sheӰԭd rather work 'with cakes than cadavers.'
March 6, 2024
Recently, I had the great pleasure and privilege of interviewing culinary nutrition instructor Professor Maggie Lyon Ӱԭ18, RD-CDN. Professor Lyon earned her B.S. in nutrition here at the University of New Haven, and she has several other accreditations from The Culinary Institute of Arts, The Culinary Institute of America, and she has a solid dietetic internship under her belt from the University of St. Joseph.
As one of her current students, I have nothing but the highest, most swaggiest praise for Professor Lyon. She is tactful, empathetic, generous, and somehow always knows how to strike the balance between seriousness and fun. There is also a certain level of zest, zing, and pure grounding Professor Lyon radiates that makes her classroom such a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds. Over the past month and a half, I have found that her guidance and teachings brought forth through culinary nutrition have been a key in my own health recovery and serve as a fertile soil for new ideas, creativity, and emotions to take root.
Outside of the University, Professor Lyon is an avid gardener, taking pride in knowing all about native plant species and habitat restoration. She also partakes in growing her own food, flowers, and plants in her garden as she finds it incredibly rewarding. In her words, ӰԭCome summer, I have a full-blown cut flower garden and love, LOVE to pick bouquets for people. ItӰԭs pure joy.Ӱԭ Aside from her love for all things plants, Professor Lyon enjoys sewing and quilting for friends.
ӰԭI love to make practical things and have a mind well-suited for design.Ӱԭ says Lyon. ӰԭI can look at something and reverse engineer it, which is a trait I really enjoy about myself.Ӱԭ
Needless to say, Lyon is certainly a mitochondria of a person and personality: a powerhouse.
Author, wearing an oversized flannel and taking a bite out of a fresh croissant: ӰԭSo, what originally led you into the culinary arts and why?Ӱԭ
Professor Lyon smirks a little bit. ӰԭHonestly, I didnӰԭt want to take chemistry or any advanced chemistry.Ӱԭ
This earned a laugh from me (I had a similar opinion on things), and she continued. Professor Lyon explained that she was drawn to both the forensic science and nutritional sciences programs offered at the University of New Haven, and she is a big fan of Dr. Henry C. Lee and his work. In the past, sheӰԭd also been in a similar debate in high school, trying to decide if she wanted to pursue cooking or forensics.
However, what it really boiled down to (no pun intended) was the fact that Prof. Lyon said she preferred to work Ӱԭwith cakes than cadaversӰԭ Ӱԭ something else I found uniquely amusing. While she still remains a fan of forensics now and keeps in touch with those within the Forensic Science Department, she has found solace in One Care Lane with a gaggle of culinary students and plenty of new kitchen equipment ready for a test drive.
ӰԭWhat do you find fulfilling about teaching a class-slash-lab about food-slash-food science?Ӱԭ
Professor Lyon takes a bite out of her own pastry, which flakes off onto her plate: ӰԭWith the right tools and right environment, anything is possible.Ӱԭ
This particularly struck a nerve with me for some reason. It wasnӰԭt a sentence of overly sophisticated grandeur or illustrious poetic meaning, but it was simple and true. When making a pastry Ӱԭ layers of dough and butter and time Ӱԭ one needs to be especially careful to prevent the fat from melting. The purpose of keeping the butter cool during pastry-making is to stop it from reacting with the proteins in the flour that will produce gluten. Should that happen, youӰԭd end up with a croissant with more chew than a dog bone. How you prevent the butter from softening is typically done through cooling all ingredients and equipment thoroughly, or even baking in a room with a cooler temperature. Some people get really crazy over that crispy, flaky crunch of their baked goods and will go to said (temperature) extremes to achieve that. With the proper tools (bowls, ingredients, whisks, knowledge) and environment that Prof. Lyon mentioned, puff pastry is possible for anyone.
On that note, there is also this sort of fear of the culinary arts. Perhaps not fear, but apprehension Ӱԭ being unsure that one may be good at cooking or baking, and in order to avoid failure as a whole, one simply does not invest any time or energy into that initial curiosity. In class, Prof. Lyon enjoys seeing Ӱԭthese lightbulb moments with the studentsӰԭ as it shows that they are entertaining that curiosity and bringing their passion into the class.
This may just be me, but being in a kitchen reminds me of what itӰԭs like to be a kid again. Spill some flour? No problem, we have a wet paper towel. Oh, burned something a little bit? Let's just scrape that part off, no big deal. In any kitchen, messes and mistakes will happen, but with that also comes the great privilege of learning. Yes, you dropped an egg, but now you know that they tend to roll on their own sometimes. Let yourself laugh at yourself, and accept that learning, changing, adapting are all innate to each of us. Without these, we would never have amounted to the society (which is, frankly, debatable in terms of morals, ethics, and law, haha) that we are now or will be.
There is a reason why the culinary arts are an ӰԭartӰԭ Ӱԭ itӰԭs not only food and a set of good knives. The culinary arts are comprised of what makes home, home. ItӰԭs how you hear your dadӰԭs voice tell you the right way to whisk an egg, or how your mom always threw extra salt on everything. ItӰԭs sight, sound, taste, touch, texture, feeling steam waft up into your face Ӱԭ and maybe fogging a pair of glasses if you wear them the same way. It involves culture, family backgrounds, memories, and personal preferences. By allowing creative freedom in the kitchen Ӱԭ or any creative space Ӱԭ you invoke oneӰԭs unique creativity, curiosity, and inner child to express themselves in a non-judgmental environment.
Needless to say: ӰԭMaking cool stuff is fun.Ӱԭ
Author, realizing she mightӰԭve wanted to record this conversation instead of jotting down quotes: ӰԭWhat is your definition of health and wellness?Ӱԭ
This question was one IӰԭd wanted to ask in particular as that day, we had presented our definitions of that topic and what it meant to us. With that, I was curious about what our instructor had to say about her own experience and interpretation of the terms.
ӰԭThereӰԭs been an evolution of my idea of health,Ӱԭ Prof. Lyon told me. Our food was a bit cold by now, as our appetites had shifted to the conversation at hand.
In Prof. LyonӰԭs life, there had been plenty of external ideals of what health was. In her family, diet culture and classic misinformation ran rampant, feeding an environment that would breed mistrust and negative emotions toward oneӰԭs body. So often do we equate our health with our physical appearance Ӱԭ the rolls of our stomach or the acne that kisses along our cheeks, perhaps our height or how cellulite speckles thighs or around knees Ӱԭ and allow that to define us instead of the multitude of internal ideals that constitute health?
In Prof. Lyon, there was this Ӱԭswitch of outwardly appearing thin, quote-unquote ӰԭidealӰԭ weightӰԭ to broadening her sphere of what health meant to her. Living under the umbrella of diet culture and its vast array of diets, gym routines, and lifestyle changes made a life Prof. Lyon didnӰԭt quite want to engage in. When she realized that there was more to health than a body, she realized that it Ӱԭwas very painful to live like that.Ӱԭ Diets are all about taking something away from the body, whether it be calories or a macronutrient, or just your life.
I donӰԭt mean life as in diets will kill you Ӱԭ though eating disorders like anorexia might if not nipped early enough. I mean the late-night Dairy Queen runs with friends, when your boyfriend or significant other surprises you with a brownie hoping youӰԭll love it, or when your mom drops off a box of homemade food that youӰԭre not sure you could finish even with friends. Diets suck the life out of you by denying you the chances to enjoy it. Frankly, when people express a want to lose weight to better their overall health, I simply advise them to:
Moving forward, what I found especially beautiful about this conversation was Maggie saying, Ӱԭmy definition of health is so big yet so small: Feeling that IӰԭm okay and accepting neutrality and being able to walk through life with a lighter foot.Ӱԭ
That really stuck with me. Really. All my life I feel as though IӰԭve been dragging all these negative emotions Ӱԭ fear, shame, guilt, self-judgment Ӱԭ that I associated around food because of how others made me feel about my body. The gentleness of how Prof. Lyon said to proceed through life with a lightness in stride with neutrality around food, around oneӰԭs body and doing things for their internal health instead of trying to change their external self, really spoke volumes to me, and itӰԭs something that I hope everyone can carry within them as well. Being able to release all these pent-up emotions that surrounded me from such a young age is a long, painful, yet freeing practice Ӱԭ and a way of healing oneself from the inside out.
Remember that you are loved for you.
Flash those ankles.
ӰԭWhatӰԭs your favorite dish to make? Or the first thing you reach for in your pantry.Ӱԭ
Professor Lyon was delighted to answer this. Apparently, she is a soup fanatic. A few of her favorites include classics such as kale and white bean, butternut squash, clam chowder paired with either saltines or oyster crackers, and minestrone of which she enjoys pairing with a thick slice of buttered sourdough.
As for the pantry, Prof. Lyon loves the lightly covered chocolate almonds from Trader JoeӰԭs. Essentially, according to her, theyӰԭre a Ӱԭperfect ratio of chocolate to nutӰԭ which sheӰԭs a nut herself about.
To add my own to this article, my favorite dish to make currently would have to be a simple omelet with spinach, mushrooms, and red pepper with soy-based cheddar cheese paired with either whole wheat bread, sweet potato hash, or some fruit. (Ketchup is added to the eggs, by the way, and I have no regrets in doing so.) Typically, my pantry raids consist of:
ӰԭSo...you have a history of going to a culinary school as well as being a private chef. What was the first disaster dish of your career?Ӱԭ
Prof. Lyon laughed to herself. ӰԭI was on my externship, and it was one of my last days, and for a bunch of cranberry orange Bundt cakes, I added only ten eggs instead of ten pounds of eggs.Ӱԭ
For my own self, I made a batch of pancakes with a tablespoon of baking soda instead of a teaspoon. Clearly, reading is not always a strong suit.
ӰԭWhatӰԭs your favorite flavor combination?Ӱԭ
ӰԭI remember when I was working at Community Table, we did a curry cauliflower soup, and, if IӰԭm not mistaken, the garnish was a spiced white chocolate, which sounds nuts, but was actually fantastic.Ӱԭ
As a hater of white chocolate and all things excessively sweet, I may have to try this one day to see what was up.
ӰԭFor our final question of today, what is your favorite thing about yourself? This can be physical, any hobbies you have...Ӱԭ
ӰԭI dig my hair. I like that IӰԭm interested in things.Ӱԭ Prof. Lyon tilted her head to the side, thinking. ӰԭI get this from my dad. HeӰԭd literally talk to a water heater with a wig on. He can talk to anyone.Ӱԭ
I laughed at this and delighted in the rest of the conversation.
ӰԭI find people interesting,Ӱԭ Prof. Lyon added. ӰԭI love podcasts, and itӰԭs a problem.Ӱԭ
Needless to say, from all of this, Prof. Lyon certainly does have very good hair (Anne with an ӰԭEӰԭ type of vibe) and quite frankly is one of the most welcoming, least judgmental, and truly fertile environments for creativity to grow in. During this interview, I asked if sheӰԭd ever modeled before, and I was surprised to learn that she hadnӰԭt considered it.
As this article begins to come to a close, I am pleased to announce that I have taken a position in the Nutrition Department as a student social media and marketing manager of sorts. I am very thankful to be given this opportunity to shed some light on the ultimate swaggery of the Nutrition Department at the University of New Haven, and I cannot wait to really show what plans we have in store. On that note, if you see me anywhere on or more on the Charger Nation News, that would probably be why. Who knows, though? Maybe a dragon needs to be slain at One Care Lane or MaxcyӰԭs ghosts need some busting.
At this rate, God knows whatӰԭll happen, haha.
Anyhow, guys, I really hope that you liked this one. This is one of many article-interviews that IӰԭm hoping to write this semester, and IӰԭd be more than thrilled if faculty reached out requesting one. I love getting to know people, their story, and what really brought them into the life they live now, and what is bringing them into where they want to be.
I feel like weӰԭve always been a little afraid of our teachers, no matter what generation we come from. Some of us are afraid to ask questions, or afraid to get something wrong as we donӰԭt want to get a remark in return. Yet, the older IӰԭve gotten, the more I have come to respect and know my professors who have dedicated their lives to passion, knowledge, and the passing of those things down to others as thatӰԭs one of the duties we have as a human race.
Something that annoyed me this week was someone saying in a rather rude tone: ӰԭBut why do we need to learn about cells. TheyӰԭre not important for our major. Like. WhatӰԭs the point.Ӱԭ
Well, to you Mr. Sir slightly-getting-on-my-nerves, without cells you wouldnӰԭt exist. You know what sickle cell anemia is? Yeah, that kills people. The melanin that protects you? Yeah, thatӰԭs in your skin thatӰԭs made up of cells. Cell mutations that lead to cancer? Yeah buddy, that ALSO kills people. Your bones and how theyӰԭre built, repaired, maintained, and structured? Cells. So yeah, those little ӰԭwhatӰԭs the pointӰԭ cells are the things keeping you alive and working their little-mitochondria butts off to make sure you stay living. Imagine if all your cells malfunctioned and didnӰԭt have their checkpoint systems that they do to prevent genetic mutations. You probably wouldnӰԭt be alive for very long, now would you? White blood cells. Red blood cells. Bone cells. Muscle cells. Nerve cells. The cells that make up your eyelashes, your toenails, the beauty marks of your skin. Cells that allow you to feel, touch, sense, transmit information with electrical impulses, and make sure your heart keeps beating.
Cells.
The cells of the human body are the second thing in the organization of all living beings. Without them, tissues and consequently, organs cannot happen. If something goes wrong, a chain reaction of unfathomable bad occurs and you canӰԭt do anything because welp, thatӰԭs genetics for you and the modern world. You cannot happen without cells.
IӰԭm sorry if you got a bad grade on your test (IӰԭm not that sorry, to be honest; this isnӰԭt my test weӰԭre talking about and clearly you have little to no appreciation of how cool biology is), but welcome to college: you will learn things you may not think are important, but are important, as preserving knowledge and having a well-rounded education is a privilege.
Okay. Rant done. ӰԭNuff said. Agh. Just people, guys. Oh my god: people. Aghghghghg.
Essentially: education is important.
On that note, I hope that everyone has been learning this year, school or not-school related. There is more to life, certainly, than chemical reactions in a lab or that test you failed. ItӰԭs the chemical reactions that enable you to love, to cry, to be happy and the tests people give to you in order for you to grow. I am slowly finding what it means to be healthy, happy, and a human being through my courses and I hope all of you have a similar insight into that. Never be afraid to question, be curious, and most importantly:
Be creative. Get funky with it, and if it doesnӰԭt work, get funkier.
I love you all so much, and I hope youӰԭve enjoyed this article as much as I had writing it.
All my love, peanut butter, and peace,
Beatrice
Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 is a nutrition sciences major at the University of New Haven.
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