05/28/2026
Gut Health Reset: Eating Your Way to a Thriving Microbiome
Saturday July 25th, 6:30 to 10:00PM | Cost $125
Chef Jeanine Kelly & Nancy Kirkiles-Smith, PhD
Sign up: https://www.weekendkitchenct.com/collections/frontpage/products/7-25-gut-health-reset-eating-your-way-to-a-thriving-microbiome
What if one of the most powerful things you could do for your health happened right in your kitchen?
That is the question at the heart of our new Gut Health Reset Class, the first in our series of health related topics. They are part lecture and part hands on cooking! The class is science-backed and designed to show you exactly how food can transform the way you feel from the inside out. This class brings together culinary expertise and nutritional science in a way that is practical, accessible, and genuinely delicious.
Your gut microbiome — the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms living in your digestive tract — influences far more than digestion. It shapes your immune system, your mood, your energy, your sleep, and your long-term health in ways that science is only beginning to fully understand. The good news is that the foods you eat are one of the most direct levers you have to support it.
In this class, we focus on the three pillars of gut-supportive eating: fiber-rich plant foods that feed your beneficial bacteria, fermented foods that introduce live cultures directly into your system, and anti-inflammatory ingredients that help heal and protect your gut lining. Every dish on the menu was chosen with intention — and every one of them tastes like food you actually want to eat.
The Menu
We will cook and eat our way through a full menu designed to nourish your microbiome at every course:
Lemon Garlic Lentil Bowl with Arugula — Lentils are one of the most gut-friendly foods on the planet, rich in prebiotic fiber that feeds your beneficial bacteria. Paired with bright lemon, garlic, and peppery arugula, this bowl is as satisfying as it is nourishing.
Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Yogurt Sauce — Turmeric brings powerful anti-inflammatory properties, while live-culture yogurt delivers probiotics directly to your gut. Roasting the cauliflower deepens its flavor and makes it the kind of dish that surprises everyone who tries it.
Chickpea and Herb Salad with Olive Oil — Chickpeas are an excellent source of both soluble fiber and resistant starch, two of the most important fuel sources for your gut bacteria. Good olive oil adds healthy fats and polyphenols — plant compounds that beneficial microbes thrive on.
Quick Fermented Cabbage Slaw — Fermented foods are among the most direct ways to support your microbiome, and this fast, approachable slaw makes fermentation feel completely doable at home. You will leave knowing how to make this on your own, any time.
Blueberry Chia Gut Repair Bowl — Blueberries are one of the most polyphenol-rich foods available, and polyphenols are essentially a superfood for your gut bacteria. Chia seeds add a dose of soluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to round out a dessert that is genuinely good for you.
Your Instructors
This class is taught by two people who have dedicated their careers — from very different directions — to the connection between food and health.
Chef Jeanine Kelly, brings over 25 years of professional culinary experience, including a long career as a Private Chef to families across the United States and France. She has tested recipes for landmark cookbooks including the Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition, styled food for magazine shoots and television productions including Friends and The Bold and the Beautiful, and catered events across New York, California, and Florida. She is now a Nationally Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and her passion is helping people build real, sustainable relationships with food that support their long-term goals.
Nancy Kirkiles-Smith, PhD, holds a doctorate in Nutritional Biochemistry, with research focused on the health activity of carotenoids and other plant-based antioxidants. She completed post-doctoral training in Immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine, where she managed a large academic research laboratory. She now works at a Biotech company that is focused on cancer immunobiology with a therapeutic in a phase 1 clinical trial. She is a Nationally Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, holds an Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching certification from Duke University, and is a Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Hospital certified Culinary Health Education Fundamentals (CHEF) instructor. She has also completed a nine-month Professional Plant-Based Chef certification through Rouxbe. Nancy is the owner of Weekend Kitchen and believes that optimal health begins with what is on your plate.
Together, they bring you the rare combination of knowing why food heals and knowing how to cook it beautifully.
Space is limited. We would love to have you at the table.
