August 14, 2013

Rachel Hudes, BS Nutrition ‘10, draws upon her experiences as a co-op at 11^th Street Family Health Services as she forges ahead as the founding leader of her business, Delicious Control. Here, Rachel answers our questions about how her work at 11^th Street shaped her path to entrepreneurship.

Chartings: Can you tell us a bit about what life after Drexel was like?

Rachel Hudes: After graduating from Drexel, I jumped right into a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Wellness at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL. I also completed a dietetic internship, which, along with passing a national examination, is a requirement for becoming a Registered Dietitian.

After graduating from Drexel, I was able to apply the skills and knowledge learned during my undergraduate career, which I continue to do on a daily basis, as a Registered Dietitian. I currently live and work in Philadelphia and am so happy to be back in the city!

Chartings: What inspired you to develop Delicious Control?

Hudes: Delicious Control is a nutrition consulting practice that I started developing soon after I finished my Master’s Degree and dietetic internship. I was inspired by the desire to build a strong presence in the nutrition field. Creating a brand that represents who I am and what my nutrition philosophy is was a fulfilling idea that also motivated me. Every day it feels amazing to wake up and put my energy into this nutrition consulting practice.

Chartings: How did your co-op at 11^th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University shape the career you have today?

Hudes: In 2008, 11^th Street was my first hands-on experience in the nutrition field and it is an experience I will always treasure. To this day, I get so excited talking about my past co-op and the services that are provided at the health center. It is a truly remarkable place and the experience was very rewarding to be a part of.  Every day I felt like I was making a difference in other people’s lives.  

Chartings: Tell us more about what you did at your co-op. What did you learn? What skills did you develop?  

Hudes: During my co-op at 11^th Street, I worked as the Health Education and Outreach Program Assistant. I discovered many things about myself and what I am capable of, which certainly helped to shape my career. 11^th Street gave me the opportunity to strengthen and develop many skills, such as program planning, facilitation and evaluation, communicating with patients and health care professionals and time management. I learned about health promotion and about working with medically underserved low-income populations. After completing my co-op at 11^th Street, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my career to disease prevention and management by utilizing the skills I developed and practiced at there, helping to help improve the health and well-being of the North Philadelphia community. 

Chartings: What is Delicious Control?

Hudes: The mission of Delicious Control is to empower individuals to make healthy lifestyle choices and feel their best from the inside out. Delicious Control seeks to make healthy eating accessible by breaking down the barriers that may stand between the individual and their goals, so that they can feel “in-control” and reach positive short- and long-term health outcomes. Delicious Control also provides corporate nutrition services. When covered by insurance, this service is provided at no cost to the company or to the individual. It is an effective way to increase productivity, decrease health care costs, and promote the health and well being of employees.  

Chartings: What does a typical day at Delicious Control look like?

Hudes: An average day at Delicious Control involves a variety of activities. Office work includes scheduling/tracking nutrition consultations and responding to emails, blogging and authoring articles on health and nutrition related topics, contacting potential corporate clients about their insurance benefits and integrating Delicious Control’s nutrition services into their wellness initiatives, meal planning and nutrient analyses, and developing nutrition education materials, presentations and recipes.  Meeting with clients in the corporate or individual home setting also takes place on an average day. Services at these locations may include one-on-one nutrition counseling, nutrition and wellness workshops and participating in employee health fairs.

Chartings: When did you start your business?

Hudes: I started Delicious Control in August 2012. Having a business has been an amazing learning experience for me, as I didn’t have any business classes during my undergraduate or graduate career. It was like a puzzle because of all the different pieces that I needed to figure out and put together.  For example, learning about tax I.D. numbers, the insurance business, and how to become a provider has been a fun challenge!

Chartings: Did you have any other co-op experiences while at Drexel? What other events at Drexel inspired your career?

Hudes: 11^th Street was my one and only co-op at Drexel. It was the highlight of my undergraduate career.