C.W. Williams Community Health Center launches its Nutrition Kitchen to promote healthy eating in Charlotte.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new community resource is cooking up healthy habits in Charlotte as the C.W. Williams Community Health Center hosts a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday for its Nutrition Kitchen at its new medical facility in west Charlotte.
The ceremony and cooking presentation being held at 3333 Wilkinson Boulevard is set to showcase the new teaching kitchen partially funded by Aetna/CVS Health. Representatives from Aetna/CVS Health and health center patients are expected to attend the event.
The facility, described as more than just a kitchen but a “teaching kitchen,” has a straightforward but impactful mission: To improve health and wellness by promoting healthy eating and lifestyles through engaging, interactive methods.
“Focusing on what the patient’s normal eating, daily eating habits are, but making adjustments to what and how they can prepare it to work to their benefit,” Monique Weeks, director of the Maternal Health Program at C.W. Williams Community Health Center, said.
This latest community resource offers something many neighborhoods desperately need: Free nutrition education and healthy cooking demonstrations that are both practical and accessible. Weeks explained the kitchen will host classes covering everything from basic meal preparation to making smart seasonal food choices, with a focus on making incremental improvements to existing eating habits.
“We want to make you see what you can actually become – your stature, how you feel inside, which typically makes you feel better on the outside,” Weeks said. “We’re just trying to make that change.”
The initiative aims to build a healthier community one cooking class at a time, with nutrition experts guiding participants through preparing affordable, nutritious meals while explaining the health benefits of different ingredients and cooking methods.
The Nutrition Kitchen will provide a comprehensive approach to healthy eating with courses on affordable meal preparation, seasonal food choices, the use of herbs and spices for both taste and nutrition, how to read food labels, recipe demonstrations, and home gardening. A key focus will be using food as medicine in the prevention and management of health issues like heart disease, inflammation, and diabetes.
“We can do so many things in the community,” Weeks said. “We’re just ready to make change. The goal is to be healthier. The goal is to be happier.”
What sets this program apart is its accessibility. Classes will be offered both in-person at the west Charlotte facility and online, ensuring that as many community members as possible can benefit from the nutrition education regardless of transportation limitations or scheduling conflicts.
During Monday’s inaugural event, a nutritionist will teach healthy food choices and prepare an affordable nutritious meal demonstration. Special recognition will be given to acknowledge the generous grant from Aetna/CVS Health that supported the purchase of equipment for the kitchen.
The C.W. Williams Community Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, has been serving the Charlotte community for over 45 years. The addition of the Nutrition Kitchen represents an expansion of its commitment to comprehensive health services for area residents.
Future programming will include guest speakers and chefs presenting foods from different cultures while promoting fitness and emphasizing the benefits of whole foods and the dangers of processed foods.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
