Meal Mentors

Changing menus and mindsets

to better pediatric IBD patient ​lives

  • Medical Advocacy
  • Culinary Classes
  • Social & Emotional Support


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Proudly supported by The DRAGON KIM Foundation

Our Mission

Through culinary medicine, we aim to fill empty tables with compassion, hope, and support.

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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.

Meet the Meal Mentors Team

We are teens, just like you, offering social, emotional, medical advocacy and culinary support.

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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 ma​ny foods without sharing more i​nformation than they are comf​ortable with, while also help​ing them to​ accept their diagnosis.

Medical ​Advocacy with E​lizabeth

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. 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.

2024 Impact Report


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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.


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Upcoming Events & Workshops

Culinary Bites & Advocacy

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.

Culinary Bites, Fundraising, ​Volunteer Support & Advocacy

Join our team for Orange County Take Steps on ​Sunday, June 9 at Segerstrom Center in Costa ​Mesa. 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.


Social, Emotional Culinary & ​med​ical aDvocacy Support

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- Friendl​y

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Meal Mentors’

Signature ​Peanutbutter Co​okie

Sample IBD-Friendly Menu

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FREE Gut-Friendly ​Summer Workshop for ​Kids & Teens

Join Us This Summer on July 21!

10 am - noon (ages 6-12)

noon - 3 pm (ages 13+)


RSVP Here

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.



Our Partners & Sponsors

Thank You Lettering

Meal Mentors

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.