Why I Took Culinary Medicine: From the Kitchen to the Microphone
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Sabrina A. Falquier, MD, CCMS, DipABLM
I’m Dr. Sabrina A. Falquier, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in over two decades as a physician, it’s this: food is far more than fuel. It is memory, identity, culture, joy—and when we honor all of that, health finally makes sense.
I’m a triple board-certified physician. Born in Mexico City to Swiss and American parents, I grew up bilingual and multicultural - an upbringing that shaped not only how I eat, but how I understand people, stories, and health. For more than 15 years I cared for patients as a primary care physician in San Diego. I loved that work deeply: the long-term relationships, the privilege of walking with people through every season of life, and the honest conversations about their health and chronic conditions, their families, their fears, and their hopes.
Food came up in nearly every visit - sometimes subtly, sometimes as a driving force. And after attending a culinary medicine conference in 2016, something clicked: practical skills, sensory engagement, and cultural connection could shift health far more effectively than anything I could offer in a 15-minute appointment. I dove deeper, and as my expertise grew, so did my voice in the food-as-medicine movement. And because education is most powerful when it meets people where they are, podcasting became an avenue thanks to executive producer, Esther Garfin of Alternative Food Network. She believed in this work and now I host 2 podcasts, Culinary Medicine Recipe (English) and Medicina Culinaria (Spanish). I also teach and consult in English and Spanish, working internationally and at the grassroots level through Olivewood Gardens, while supporting national efforts to expand culinary medicine across healthcare and education. I also hold teaching roles at two universities.Â
Culinary medicine blends evidence-based nutrition with the joyful, culturally rooted act of cooking. Through podcasting, I bring listeners into the kitchen, into the science, and into the cultural stories behind what we eat. I interview chefs, physicians, researchers, and food-service innovators about flavor, culture, chronic disease, access, sensory experiences, and the real-world opportunities to make food that is both delicious and fantastic for the body.
What guides everything I do emerged from years of listening and observing. Food is medicine, yes. But it is also memory. It is identity. It is joy. When we embrace all of that, we unlock a way of eating that feels liberating, not limiting.
My goal as a podcast host is simple: to give people knowledge, access and confidence so they can make great food that is also powerful medicine—without ever losing the traditions, culture, or pleasure that make food worth sharing.
Until next time, Salud and Bon Appetitâ„¢!
Connect With Sabrina
Instagram and LinkedIn: @alternativefoodnetwork