Home-Cooked Meals for Patients with Cancer, Taught by Smilow Dietitians

With his breading station set up for oven-baked chicken nuggets, Chef Max was ready to begin an episode of Smilow Cancer Hospital’s Chop and Chat with Max & Nat.

During the Zoom webinar, which is similar to the shows on the Food Network, Max narrated a recipe step-by-step, including how to make a homemade ranch dipping sauce, while his co-host, Natalie, made valuable nutritional commentary and offered tips.

The hour flew by thanks to their friendly on-air chemistry as they demonstrated how to make a meal healthy and easy to prepare for people in treatment for cancer.

Chef Max and co-host Natalie Smith, MS, RDN, CSO, oncology dietitian, first broadcast a year ago, in June 2024. The webinar series is a spin-off of their in-person, patient-only classes held in the Teaching Kitchen. The next episode is planned for Wednesday, Aug. 20 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. and will feature BBQ recipes as the theme. Check the Yale Cancer Center calendar for a Zoom link nearer the date.

“The success of the kitchen is evident not only in class and webinar attendance but also in the written feedback I receive,” says Max Goldstein, MS, RDN, CCMS, dietitian and chef at the Irving and Alice Brown Teaching Kitchen at Yale New Haven Hospital.

“Patients shared with me how they are making changes at home and improving their eating habits, which shows that the classwork is inspiring confidence. And our classes have repeat patients, which is incredibly rewarding,” he says.

While Max does most of the chopping and cooking, Natalie offers nutritional insights and suggests ingredient substitutions, including how to adjust a recipe for kids or to accommodate a family member’s dietary needs during treatment. They work together to ensure that the show is both educational and approachable.

“We joined forces when Max was hired, hosting group sessions, and quickly became fast friends,” says Natalie, who is with the Survivorship Clinic and Integrative Medicine Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital. “We hosted an in-person class for colon cancer survivors, and while the turnout was small, everyone had a great time. Knowing that patient participation was limited due to their treatment or travel challenges, we realized we could reach more people online so Chop and Chat was a natural next step.”

As an oncology dietitian, Natalie counsels former and current patients with cancer to address nutritional concerns and help improve their overall health. For individuals undergoing treatment, adequate nutrition improves treatment tolerance, maintenance of energy and stamina, and reduces risk of hospitalizations.

Chop and Chat has provided a patient-friendly approach to spread the message that small, manageable changes at home can equate to positive transformations in the kitchen.

Chop and Chat with Max & Nat episodes are available on the Smilow YouTube channel. Additional episodes will be announced on the Smilow Facebook page and the yalecancercenter.org event calendar.