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Cooking the Tuscan Way: Cheney Knight '19 Presents iQuest Findings

Chatham Hall
On November 27, Cheney Knight ’19 presented the results of her iQuest travel experience through Italy with the Chatham Hall community.
Her essential question, “How do social norms as well as public policy affect the Italian diet, leading it to be one of the healthiest countries in the world?" led her to Florence and Rome for a better understanding of the Tuscan cooking tradition.

Over the eight-day trip, Knight had the chance to interview public policy officials, work with restaurant owners, and cook fresh Tuscan food. Issues such as portion size, average caloric intake, and cooking techniques proved to be the primary contributors to the above global average health of Italian citizens. In an interview with Kight, research scientist, Dr. Marialaura Bonaccio, at the Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed specifically credited extra virgin olive oil and the influence of the Mediterranean diet as key factors in the overall health of the nation, as well as ease of access to fresh produce that citizens enjoy throughout Italy. Knight ended the presentation by offering those in attendance a taste of Italy with fresh-made bruschetta prepared using a recipe she learned on the trip.

The iQuest program is designed to provide opportunities for students to pursue areas of personal interest through travel grants. iQuest makes funds available for students and faculty to add local, national, and international travel components to traditional courses, new courses, and independent study. Students have applied for and received support to take on subjects as wide-ranging as a science/chemistry internship to create a line of makeup, veterinary studies, self-sustaining environmental work, and attending a Frank Lloyd Wright architectural workshop in Chicago.
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800 Chatham Hall Circle  •  Chatham, VA 24531
+1 434.432.2941  •  admissions@chathamhall.org
Day and boarding school for girls grades 9-12 in the Episcopal tradition.

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