KK&P Internship with Amy Gu

Amy Gu, an MBA candidate at NYU Stern School of Business, interned with KK&P via an internship posting distributed by the Center for Sustainable Business.

Tell us about your internship experience. Where did you work and what types of projects did you work on?

I had the opportunity to intern at KK&P, a boutique consulting firm specializing in food systems innovation. Our client was the Goldring Center of Culinary Medicine, which is part of Tulane’s School of Medicine. The Goldring Center of Culinary Medicine is the first teaching kitchen implemented at a medical school. Culinary medicine brings together evidence-based nutrition science and the culinary arts through applicable, hands-on cooking classes. The Goldring Center teaches medical students, practicing doctors, and other healthcare professionals to connect the value of healthy food to patients’ medical needs, home kitchens, and busy lives.

With an established portfolio of offerings under their Health Meets Food brand, including courseware licensed to over 30 medical schools, continuing medical education, and an annual conference, the leadership at the Goldring Center of Culinary Medicine is planning for their next phase of growth.

As their consultant, I prepared and conducted stakeholder interviews, developed a competitive analysis, and presented research findings at a Board of Directors meeting at the teaching kitchen in New Orleans. Lastly, I made a timeline of strategy recommendations that leadership should prioritize over the next 12-16 months in the areas of revenue, branding, and operations.

What was the most valuable thing you learned at your internship?

I learned that the for-profit business mindset of revenue growth and cost efficiencies are just as critical in the nonprofit context. In order to sustain the organization long-term, consolidating and growing revenue centers, as well as considering expansion opportunities, are necessary to support mission-critical work. In this way, the organization is better equipped to scale its impact, thereby exponentiating its returns in both financial gains and societal impact.

Did your internship experience change your thoughts about your career trajectory moving forward?

Interning at KK&P provided realistic exposure to niche consulting, one possible career trajectory that I’ve been considering. Because I enjoyed the client engagement and working on the project deliverables, this internship reinforced my confidence in this kind of work. My sense of personal fulfillment from working with the Goldring Center of Culinary Medicine and their dedicated leadership also reinforced my desire of ultimately engaging in purpose-driven, impactful work at the intersection of food and sustainability.