- Medical Advocacy
- Culinary Medicine
- Social & Emotional Support
Changing menus and mindsets
to better pediatric IBD patient
lives
Meal Mentors
Proudly supported by The DRAGON KIM Foundation
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Our Mission
Were you or a loved one diagnosed with IBD,
Crohn’s, or Colitis? We know how scary it can be,
and we are here to support you. At Meal Mentors,
our mission is to teach adolescent and teen IBD
patients, like you, how to cook diet-applicable meals
through summer programs and instructional videos
while offering social and emotional support by
teaching you how to medically and socially
advocate for yourself.
For more information & recipes, please follow our
YouTube channel.
Through culinary medicine, we aim to fill empty tables with compassion, hope, and support.
Meet the Meal Mentors Team
We are teens, just like you, offering social, emotional, medical advocacy and culinary support.
Social & Emotional
Support with Talia
I was diagnosed with Crohn's at 13. I help others with dietary restrictions navigate difficult social situations and explain why they cannot eat many foods without sharing more information than they are comfortable with, while also helping them to accept their diagnosis.
Medical Advocacy with Elizabeth
Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis
at 14, I teach patients how to
medically advocate for
themselves and their health
while encouraging them to work
as a team with their doctors.
Culinary Support
with Stella
I am a level-two chef with a passion for culinary medicine. Coming from a strong culinary background, I want to use my skills to find simple substitutions and recipes to change menus to support people with allergens and dietary restrictions.
We are excited to announce the incredible impact Meal Mentors has
made on our IBD Community!
- Our networking and social media efforts reached
over 2000 people! - We helped raise over $150,000 for IBD research!
- Our camps served 46 individuals aged 3 - 55!
- We shared recipes, videos and online support with
people in over 100 countries!
Thank you for supporting us as we continue to fill empty tables with
compassion, hope & support.
2024 Impact Report
Take Steps With Us to Fund a Cure
Join the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s largest, most impactful
fundraising event, Take Steps, as we come together to raise
funds to accelerate research, advance treatments, and
provide programs and support to improve the quality of life for
those living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Together, we share one path: Forward, to Mt. Remission and
IBD cures.
Orange County Take Steps - Mike Ward Park, Irvine CA, 05/17/2025
Upcoming Events & Workshops
Culinary Bites & Advocacy
Culinary Bites, Fundraising,
Volunteer Support & Advocacy
Social, Emotional Culinary & medical aDvocacy Support
Invest in our future by investing in your youth!
Please join us on May 5, for a night of immersive
fun as we transform the Dragon Kim Foundation
to the lights, sounds, and smells of a Dragon
Night. Meal Mentors will be there to advocate for
IBD youth by serving small IBD-friendly bites.
Join our team for Orange County Take Steps on
May 17th at Mike Ward Park in Irvine, CA. Take
Steps is a fundraising campaign that brings
communities together while reminding IBD
patients and their families that they are not alone.
Meal Mentors will fundraise, advocate for youth,
and serve gut-friendly muffins.
Join us in person on July 21st for a FREE
culinary workshop where you will meet recently
diagnosed teens and kids with IBD and learn
valuable social, emotional, culinary, and medical
advocacy skills to support your needs.
Meal Mentors’ Signature Recipes
Gut- Friendly
Gut- Friendly
Gut-Friendly
Sample IBD-Friendly Menu
Gut- Friendly
Gut- Friendly
Gut- Friendly
FREE Gut-Friendly
Summer Workshop for
Kids & Teens
In our FREE 3-hour workshop, you will learn how to cook a completely
portable gut-friendly, IBD-friendly SCD snack, main course, and dessert.
Join us for games, crafts, prizes and FREE swag from our sponsors (like
Jelly Cat Stuffies, Bell Bottom Bakery, and Joyful Gut Cooking). You will
also connect with our mentors and other kids and teens who are going
through similar circumstances while gaining valuable social, emotional,
and medical advocacy support.
Register for our in-person workshop on July 21 at the OCSA Webb
Theater Event Center Kitchen, 801 N Main St., Santa Ana, CA.
In 2023, Meal Mentors were awarded a Fellowship from the Dragon Kim
Foundation for their work with IBD youth and teens. We also won a
$5000 grant from the Dragon Kim Foundation to use as seed money
to expand our non-profit outreach.
In 2024, our efforts were recognized formally by California
Assemblymember Connie Petrie-Norris.
We are currently the 2025 Los Angeles and Orange County Crohn's
and Colitis Honored Heroes.
We have six corporate sponsors, including Trader Joes and Jelly Cat
London.
Our networking and social media efforts reached over 2000 individuals
in over 100 countries online, and our in-person camps served 46
individuals aged 3 - 55.
Awards & Achievements
We are here to help.
Let's talk.
At Meal Mentors, you always have a seat at our
table. Because every disability is important, even
if it is invisible.
Reach out to us via email, Instagram, or follow our
YouTube channel.
Meal Mentors