K. Dun Gifford (1938-2010) Founded Oldways and guided it through its first two decades
K. Dun Gifford founded non-profit Oldways in 1990 to promote healthy eating and drinking, with programs that help consumers improve their food and drink choices, encourage traditional sustainable food choices, and promote enjoyment of the pleasures of the table. As Oldways’ original president, Dun guided the organization through its initial two decades with creativity, enthusiasm, and political vision, until his untimely death in May, 2010
Dun graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, served in the U.S. Navy, was Legislative Assistant to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and a national campaign coordinator for Robert F. Kennedy. He served as national chair of the American Institute of Wine & Food, owned and managed a number of restaurants in Boston and Cambridge, and founded a food business (Kilvert & Forbes) with John F. Kerry, later a U.S. Senator and Secretary of State. With his business partner at Oldways, Sara Baer-Sinnott, Gifford was co-author of The Oldways Table, described by one reviewer as a “comprehensible and extensive food reference packed with alluring recipes, helpful instructions, nutritional information and exceptionally amusing stories and essays about food and life.”
As we look forward to the future, we’re excited to continue working to change the way people eat—inspiring others to embrace healthy foods and cultural food traditions from the old ways. Thank you to the many people who have joined with us to make a difference around the world!
K. Dun Gifford founds Oldways to preserve traditional foods and foodways, and to promote healthy eating and drinking.
Development of a series of beloved, ground-breaking Oldways overseas symposiums for journalists, chefs, scientists and food retailers, focusing on the connection of food and culture and the scientific validity of traditional diets.
Introduction of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, with the Harvard School of Public Health, featuring olive oil as the principal fat, inclusion of moderate wine drinking, and recognition of the difference between plant and animal protein— radical ideas at the time.
Founding of the Chefs Collaborative, focusing on sustainability, local and seasonal food, and bringing chefs together to advocate for change—also radical ideas at the time.
Scientific “de-demonization” of healthy fats—olive oil, avocados, tree nuts and peanuts—in a world obsessed by low-fat diets.
Creation and introduction of a larger series of scientifically-based Dietary Pyramids representing other cultural models for healthy eating: Asian Diet Pyramid (1995), Latin American Diet Pyramid (1996), and Vegetarian Diet Pyramid (1997).
Creation of the scientifically- and culturally-based Sensible Wine Drinking Guidelines.
Development of Scientific Consensus Statements on Moderate Fat Diets, helping to change government policy from recommendations of low-fat to moderate-fat.
Organization of the Cheese of Choice Coalition—focusing on consumers’ right to choose raw-milk cheese and the protection of the aging rules for traditional cheeses made from unpasteurized milk.
Development and organization of Continuing Education Programs in Nutrition for Physicians with the Harvard School of Public Health— the first CME course to bring together nutrition, culture, and cooking.
Creation of the Antioxidant Initiative, a program to bring attention to the power of foods and drinks with high levels of antioxidants.
Development of the Water Farming Initiative, a program to push for environmentally sound aquaculture.
Founding of the Whole Grains Council, an Oldways program helping consumers find whole grains and understand their health benefits; working with manufacturers to create delicious whole grain products—accelerating the shift from refined to whole grains; and working with the media to write accurate and compelling stories about whole grains.
Development of a Scientific Consensus Statement on Healthy Pasta Meals and a campaign to fight back against extreme low-carb diets.
Introduction of the Whole Grain Stamp, a packaging symbol that helps shoppers worldwide quickly and easily find real whole grain foods.
Creation of the Oldways Culinaria Program—extraordinary culinary tours, planned with the firm belief that the heart of any culture can be illuminated by exploring its food, wine, and culinary traditions.
Organization of coalitions to promote the traditional diets of the Mediterranean and Latin America (Mediterranean Foods Alliance and Latino Nutrition Coalition).
Organization of the first conference on the health benefits of resistant starch—a newly-recognized type of dietary fiber.
Publication of our first book, The Oldways Table: Essays and Recipes from the Food Issues Think Tank.
Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, Oldways brought together a scientific committee to update the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. The scientists added herbs and spices for the first time, and made fish and seafood more prominent.
Established Whole Grains Month (in September), created as a special annual event to promote whole grains.
Creation of National Mediterranean Diet Month, an annual celebration created to highlight the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet throughout the month of May.
Development of the African Heritage Diet Pyramid, an eating pattern based on the healthy culinary traditions of the African Diaspora, and development of an accompanying education program for African Americans to claim health by using heritage as a guide.
Creation of two programs, ONE and the Supermarket Dietitian Symposium, focusing on supermarket dietitians, helping them do their jobs better, and making connections between the registered dietitians and companies that sell food and beverages.
Development of a six-lesson cooking curriculum for African Americans, called A Taste of African Heritage. The curriculum was introduced coast-to-coast, with qualitative and quantitative measurements of results.
Publication of our second book, The Oldways 4-Week Mediterranean Diet Menu Plan.
Co-organization of the development of a Scientific Consensus Statement on Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and Glycemic Response—and the importance of high-quality carbohydrates.
Scientific update and introduction of the Vegetarian Diet Pyramid by a scientific committee that included, for the first time, a vegan diet option.
Relaunch of the Cheese of Choice Coalition.
Whole Grain Stamp appears on 10,000 products in 42 countries.
Publication of our third book, The Oldways 4-Week Vegetarian & Vegan Diet Menu Plan.
A Taste of African Heritage cooking and nutrition program brings about positive improvements in weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure while inspiring more vegetable consumption.
1st Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day organized by Oldways Cheese Coalition on April 18.
A Taste of African Heritage cooking and nutrition community program launched in Philadelphia and through NHP, a national community housing nonprofit.
Oldways Supermarket RD Symposium has its fifth edition in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Train the Trainer program launched in Philadelphia for A Taste of African Heritage.
1st Taste Cheese Live online event held September 27.
Two Oldways Culinarias: Emilia Romagna in May, and Greece in November.
New 50% Whole Grain Stamp is introduced for products where at least 50% of the grain is whole grain.
Publication of a new book, 12 Ways to Use Vegetables.
Two Oldways Culinarias: Liguria and Menton in March, and Andalusia, Spain in November.
Whole Grains Month (in September) introduces Good Grains for a Good Cause to nominate a favorite charity to win whole grain products.
US News & World Report names the Mediterranean Diet the #1 Best Overall Diet.
A Taste of African Heritage is approved into SNAP Ed Library.
The eighth and final Supermarket RD Symposium takes place in San Diego (March).
Whole Grain Stamp appears on more than 12,000 products in 60 countries.
Launch of A Children’s Taste of African Heritage, a 7-week cooking and nutrition curriculum for children aged 8-12.
Publication of another new book, Whole Grains Around the World.
Launch of new 6-week cooking and nutrition curriculum, A Taste of Latin American Heritage.
The new Asian Diet Pyramid is released with refreshed information and beautiful color illustrations to match the style of our other heritage pyramids.
Three Oldways Culinarias are added to our growing list: Sicily with David and Catherine Katz (April), Northern Italy Cheese Culinaria with Cathy Strange (May) and Crete with Ana Sortun and Aglaia Kremezi (November).
A new Oldways brand identity is introduced to highlight our commitment to cultural food traditions and our role as a resource for nutrition inspiration and information.
Oldways’ books and printed materials are redesigned and given a fresh look. Make Every Day Mediterranean is republished with a new design and the inclusion of new recipes.
Oldways hosts Culinarias in the Veneto region of Italy with Chefs Kevin O’Donnell and Michael Lombardi, and in Cyprus with Chef Ana Sortun and Chef Cassie Piuma.
Oldways publishes Plant-Forward Plates, a ready-to-go PDF toolkit that gives hospital food service providers all the details they need to offer plant-based breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks in their facilities. Oldways is also a founding member in the Coalition for Plant-Based Foods in Hospitals.
The Whole Grains Council, a founding member of the International Whole Grain Initiative in 2017, now chairs one of the five working groups (Communications and Partnerships) and sits on the governing board of the organization.
Oldways ramps up its free, online CPEU webinar program for dietitians. This ongoing series of hour-long webinars features expert speakers on whole grain and heritage diet nutrition topics.
Oldways hosts a series of online cultural cooking demo classes, in partnership with Age-Friendly Boston and Friends of the Armenian Heritage Park on the Greenway.
Oldways hosts Instagram Live interviews with food and nutrition experts.
Oldways joins TikTok, bringing short-form food and nutrition content to the app.
The database of Whole Grain Stamped products hit 14,000 products available in 65 countries, a new record.
A Taste of African Heritage launches an e-course version of the curriculum, making this information accessible to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world.
Oldways expands its Mediterranean Food Alliance program to include social media and video-based benefits for members.
Oldways continues its popular educational CPEU webinar series with 9 new events.
Oldways resumes its culinary travel program with spectacular tours to Turkey, Portugal, and Naples & Amalfi, while planning an exciting lineup of tours for 2023.
A Taste of African Heritage is accepted into the USDA SNAP-Ed Toolkit.
Oldways launches a Substack newsletter, Always Hungry for Travel.
The Whole Grains Council team publishes a scientific article in Nutrients, which finds steady growth in whole grain content and product availability in US and Latin American markets over the past 10-15 years.
A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior concludes that participants of A Taste of African Heritage experienced improvements in weight, systolic blood pressure, and waist size, as well as higher intake of fruit, vegetables, greens, and higher frequency of exercise.
Oldways launches its first two On-Demand Culinarias, customizable, private food experiences in Italy and Greece.
Oldways hosts 12 educational webinars for CPEU credit for RDs.
Oldways creates a supplementary fitness component to A Taste of African Heritage, to allow the program to satisfy physical activity requirements for nutrition programming.
Oldways expands its Latin American Heritage Advisory Board with experts in both nutrition research and culinary history.
The Whole Grains Council’s representative to the International Whole Grain Initiative’s governing board is made chair of the organization.
Oldways organizes four sold-out Culinarias, two of them in new locations – San Sebastian and Switzerland.
The two Registered Dietitians on Oldways’ staff speak at a number of conferences around the country.
Oldways hosts 7 educational webinars for CPEU credit for RDs and viewership continues to grow.
Oldways celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and the 20th anniversary of the Whole Grains Council.
The Mediterranean Diet is named the Best Overall Diet for the seventh year running, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Publication of two articles in peer-reviewed journals.
New Culinarias in the Peloponnese (Greece) and Croatia.
Oldways new website launched
The Whole Grains Council’s representative to the Whole Grain Initiative acted as Scientific Chair of the International Whole Grain Summit, helping to organize and lead the event in Detmold, Germany
The Whole Grains Council launched its Whole Grain Academy springtime event and webinar series
The information below tells Oldways’ story in Dun’s own words, as as told in The Oldways Table.
The idea for Oldways came to me in Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, during a 1987 visit to China, where we had a three-hour traditional banquet in the replica of the Confucius family home. I woke up the next morning surprised to see that the banquet had painted in my mind’s eye a clear image of what would become Oldways—a new non-profit advocacy organization to research and promote a harmony of traditional food patterns, sustainable agriculture, and healthy eating and drinking. Combining “the best of the old ways” with “the best of the new ways,” we would help modern humans live healthier and happier lives.
Later in 1987, my close friend Nancy Harmon Jenkins helped me organize an extensive culinary trip to northern Italy, which turned out to be a well-matched bookend to the China trip in the spring.
This Italian culinary adventure was an exhilarating immersion into a second of the world’s great traditional “oldways” cultures, where the sensory elements of the foods and wines are inseparable from a joyous way of living. It was a sensual Italian ying to the intense Chinese yang in Qufu, and strong validation of my image and purposes for Oldways.
When I got back to Boston from this extraordinary Italian pilgrimage, I called my lawyer and we set the paperwork in motion to establish Oldways as the non-profit educational organization it has become today.
I am extraordinarily lucky; I grew up and have lived my life immersed in good food and wine, political activism, environmental campaigns, strong traditions, and nutrition awareness. Cooking has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. It’s sort of e pluribus unum: right before your eyes, a bunch of individuals are transformed into a unity.The lessons of this life are central to Oldways.
The intense berrying and fishing experiences of my childhood are very much part of my life, andI can vouch for the pleasure and power of food memories, and their pleasures. They are part of the backbone of Oldways’ emphasis on traditional foods.
My Washington experiences absolutely persuaded me that an individual can make a big difference if he or she chooses to do so, and this belief is also a motivating force for Oldways. This is an obvious truth in personal matters—we can become obese or maintain a healthy weight, get married or stay single, and do volunteer work or avoid it. But not very many people decide they want to make changes on a large scale, such as by running for president or governor or mayor, or for Congress or a state or local legislature. The lesson I took away from my time in Washington was well-said by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
In the 1980s, I was deeply into the restaurant business, and during these years my food, wine, and cookery educators were formidable.
Chief among them was Julia Child, a friend for two decades. We both had knee replacements, for example, and visited each other in the hospital. Julia introduced me to Bob Mondavi, with whom I have also been friends for two decades. If there is a more gentlemanly individual who has had such spectacular success in the cutthroat wine business on his own, I have not met him. Russell Morash, who has a 40-year string of successful public television shows, and Marian Morash are very talented, classy people who are another of my life’s blessings.
There are many other wonderful people who helped me stitch threads into the Oldways tapestry over the years. and we try hard to keep our focus on our simple triangle—nutrition, tradition, and sustainability—with healthy people eating delicious, healthy, and wonderful meals in its center.
It is clear that Oldways broke important new ground in the last decade in changing the conventional wisdom about what constitutes a “good, healthy diet.” Now, our goal is to change conventional wisdom once again, and help people around the world learn to enjoy the healthy pleasures of the traditional old ways of eating and drinking.
