In our November episode, Chef Adrienne Cheatham joined us to share healthy ways to tweak our holiday menus without sacrificing flavor. In this month’s Key Note, Chef Cheatham opens her cookbook, Sunday Best, to offer a delicious, nutritious, affordable, make-ahead alternative to traditional main dishes – Mississippi Pot Roast. Enjoy!

The Takeaway

• We want to hear from you! Please complete our survey: org/member-feedback.
• Drop us a line at our social media channels: Facebook// Instagram // YouTube.

• Start your health journey by making an appointment with your primary care physician. Don’t have one? Find one at our Provider Directory: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/find-a-provider.
• Visit the Healthy Living Resource Center for wellness tips, information and resources; www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving.
• Get inspired by fellow members through our Members’ Voices series: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving/membervoices.
• Stop by our Benefits Channel to view webinars on building healthy meals, managing stress and more: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/videos.

• Find a greenmarket near you by visiting grownyc.org/greenmarket/ourmarkets.
• Visit our YouTube Channel to view a wide collection of cooking demos and healthy living videos: youtube.com/@1199SEIUBenefitFunds/playlists

• Sample our wellness classes to exercise body and mind: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/wellnessevents.
• For Chef Cheatham’s Mississippi Pot Roast recipe, visit www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/Mississippi-Pot-Roast
• To order Chef Cheatham’s cookbook, Sunday Best, visit Penguin Random House Books.

Guest Bio Adrienne Cheatham is a New York-based chef, author, consultant and television personality known for her bold perspective on food and culture. A veteran of some of the country’s most acclaimed kitchens, Adrienne served as Executive Sous Chef at Le Bernardin and Executive Chef at Red Rooster Harlem and Corporate Chef of the Marcus Samuelsson Group.

She rose to national prominence as the runner-up on Top Chef, Season 15, and has since returned to the show as a guest judge. In 2023, Adrienne published her debut cookbook, Sunday Best, inspired by her critically acclaimed pop-up dinner series of the same name. The book was nominated for a James Beard Award.

Adrienne is a regular judge on the Food Network and contributor to Epicurious, where her videos have earned over 6 million views. She’s been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, USA Today and more—both as a subject and a writer. In 2025, she and her former Top Chef rival, Joe Flamm, launched The Chef’s Cut podcast. Through every platform, she shares stories that connect food, identity, and the communities that shape them.

The holidays are a joyful time to gather with family and friends, but for many of us they’re also a time to worry about staying on track with our health journey. To help us navigate the season’s seemingly endless offerings of rich foods, we are joined by Adrienne Cheatham, professional chef, runner-up on Bravo TV’s Top Chef, and author of Sunday Best, nominated for a James Beard Award for best cookbook. Chef Cheatham shares what she loves most about the holidays, simple tips to make seasonal favorites healthier and quick affordable ways to eat healthfully throughout the year. For a chance to win a signed copy of Sunday Best, visit our Facebook and Instagram pages to share your favorite healthy cooking tip.

Wishing you and yours a healthy and happy holiday season!

The Takeaway

• We want to hear from you! Please complete our survey: org/member-feedback.
• Drop us a line at our social media channels: Facebook// Instagram // YouTube.
• Start your health journey by making an appointment with your primary care physician. Don’t have one? Find one at our Provider Directory: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/find-a-provider.
• Visit the Healthy Living Resource Center for wellness tips, information and resources; 1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving.
• Get inspired by fellow members through our Members’ Voices series: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving/membervoices.
• Stop by our Benefits Channel to view webinars on building healthy meals, managing stress and more: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/videos.
• Find a greenmarket near you by visiting grownyc.org/greenmarket/ourmarkets.
• Visit our YouTube Channel to view a wide collection of cooking demos and healthy living videos: youtube.com/@1199SEIUBenefitFunds/playlists
• Sample our wellness classes to exercise body and mind: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/wellnessevents.
• To order Chef Cheatham’s cookbook, Sunday Best, visit Penguin Random House Books.

Guest Bio

Adrienne Cheatham is a New York-based chef, author, consultant and television personality known for her bold perspective on food and culture. A veteran of some of the country’s most acclaimed kitchens, Adrienne served as Executive Sous Chef at Le Bernardin and Executive Chef at Red Rooster Harlem and Corporate Chef of the Marcus Samuelsson Group.

She rose to national prominence as the runner-up on Top Chef, Season 15, and has since returned to the show as a guest judge. In 2023, Adrienne published her debut cookbook, Sunday Best, inspired by her critically acclaimed pop-up dinner series of the same name. The book was nominated for a James Beard Award.

Adrienne is a regular judge on the Food Network and contributor to Epicurious, where her videos have earned over 6 million views. She’s been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, USA Today and more—both as a subject and a writer. In 2025, she and her former Top Chef rival, Joe Flamm, launched The Chef’s Cut podcast. Through every platform, she shares stories that connect food, identity, and the communities that shape them.

In our October episode, we spoke with Dr. Samantha Dunham, co-director of the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause at NYU Langone Health, who shared important information about this unique stage in women’s health journeys. In this month’s Key Note, Dr. Dunham explains how women are taking control of their health and details simple lifestyle changes that can offer relief from menopause symptoms and boost overall wellness.

The Takeaway

• We want to hear from you! Please complete our survey: org/member-feedback.
• Drop us a line at our social media channels: Facebook// Instagram // YouTube.
• Get started on your health journey by making an appointment with your primary care physician to know your numbers.
• It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Women 40 and older – schedule a mammogram. Under 40 and unsure of your risk – ask your doctor about the screening schedule that’s right for you.
• Visit our Healthy Living Resource Center for additional information and resources: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyminds/
• Find a mental health therapist through the Benefit Funds’ Provider Directory: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/find-a-provider.
• For additional support, call our Wellness Member Assistance Program: (646) 473-6900.
• For more information and resources, visit The Menopause Society Menopause.org

• Get inspired by fellow members through our Members’ Voices series: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving/membervoices.
• Stop by our Benefits Channel to view webinars on managing stress, building healthy meals and more: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/videos.

• Visit our YouTube Channel to view a wide collection of healthy living videos: youtube.com/@1199SEIUBenefitFunds/playlists

• Sample our wellness classes to exercise body and mind: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/wellnessevents.

Guest Bio

Dr. Samantha Dunham is a certified menopause practitioner and co-director of the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause at NYU Langone Health. She practices general gynecology and preventative women’s health, with a special focus on perimenopause and menopause and the role they play in disease development. At the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause, she educates patients on what to expect through perimenopause and menopause, and partners with them to develop a treatment plan that aligns with their symptoms and goals for treatment. Dr. Dunham completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at New York University, and has been a board-certified physician for NYU Langone Health since 2006.

Each year, more than 1 million women in the U.S. will experience menopause. And four out of five of those women will complain of symptoms that range from hot flashes and night sweats to sexual problems and sleep disturbances. In the not-so-distant past, menopause wasn’t taken seriously, and women were hard-pressed to find answers to their questions. Thankfully, that’s changing. To learn more about this unique aspect of women’s health, we’re joined by Dr. Samantha Dunham, a certified menopause practitioner and co-director of the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Dunham explains the physical and emotional changes women experience during menopause – and perimenopause – and offers hope to those searching for treatment options to find relief from nagging symptoms and to protect their overall health.

The Takeaway

• We want to hear from you! Please complete our survey: org/member-feedback.
• Drop us a line at our social media channels: Facebook// Instagram // YouTube.
• Get started on your health journey by making an appointment with your primary care physician to know your numbers.
• It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Women 40 and older – schedule a mammogram. Under 40 and unsure of your risk – ask your doctor about the screening schedule that’s right for you.
• Visit our Healthy Living Resource Center for additional information and resources: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyminds/
• Find a mental health therapist through the Benefit Funds’ Provider Directory: 1199SEIUBenefits.org/find-a-provider.
• For additional support, call our Wellness Member Assistance Program: (646) 473-6900.
• For more information and resources, visit The Menopause Society Menopause.org

• Get inspired by fellow members through our Members’ Voices series: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving/membervoices.
• Stop by our Benefits Channel to view webinars on managing stress, building healthy meals and more: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/videos.

• Visit our YouTube Channel to view a wide collection of healthy living videos: youtube.com/@1199SEIUBenefitFunds/playlists

• Sample our wellness classes to exercise body and mind: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/wellnessevents.

Guest Bio

Dr. Samantha Dunham is a certified menopause practitioner and co-director of the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause at NYU Langone Health. She practices general gynecology and preventative women’s health, with a special focus on perimenopause and menopause and the role they play in disease development. At the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause, she educates patients on what to expect through perimenopause and menopause, and partners with them to develop a treatment plan that aligns with their symptoms and goals for treatment. Dr. Dunham completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at New York University, and has been a board-certified physician for NYU Langone Health since 2006.