People helping people
For more than 25 years, Dietary Solutions has been providing people-first solutions to meet a variety of nutrition and dietary consulting and staffing needs. Our experts share a genuine passion for nutrition and food service and do whatever it takes to meet your unique needs. We are a team of registered dietitians, food service directors, culinary experts, nursing home administrators, nutrition associates, and dietetic technicians all dedicated to doing the heavy lifting of making your organizations run efficiently, cost-effectively, and within compliance.
As a minority-owned, woman-led business whose founder and CEO is a registered and licensed dietitian and former nursing home administrator, we know firsthand the challenges you face every day. At Dietary Solutions, we customize and personalize the right solution for you no matter what your needs are.
Our mission is your solution. We are always there even when your consultant is not in your facility. We are your 24/7 support and there is always someone to assist you. We are committed to delivering personalized nutrition consulting and staffing services to meet the needs of each and every client.
Dietary Solutions’ approach to nutrition and staffing services, combined with our unparalleled expertise, provides an exceptional impact on the lives of the residents/patients within our care. We continually evaluate our products and services by utilizing data-driven feedback to ensure we are always doing what is right for the residents/patients and our clients. We consistently provide our clients with all the nutrition and food service resources and services they need to be able to have optimal nutrition and food service outcomes.
Always here for you
Our Values
Empathy
We wholeheartedly have a genuine interest, care, and concern for the work we do. At the cornerstone of our relationships, is the ability to understand and anticipate the needs of our clients, employees, residents, and patients. Empathy allows us to understand another person’s experience, perspective, and feelings. We are committed to being a partner providing cutting-edge and cost-effective strategies that make the world a better place.
Collaboration
We believe in the power of working together to go above and beyond expectations. Whether you are a client, an employee, a resident, or a patient, we are committed to collaboration. We respectfully support each other, the people we serve, and those who make our work possible to further our collective mission. We know that deep trust builds deep relationships, and in our daily interactions, we constantly work to incorporate collaboration.
Authenticity
Simply put, being authentic means staying true to who we are, what we do, and who we serve. Being responsive, operating from a place of honesty, and relentlessly choosing that integrity is possible, all while we skillfully strive for perfection. We believe at the heart of every action, decision, and conversation, there must be enthusiastic authenticity. It is at the core of who we are, what we believe, and what guides our actions.
Leadership
Kay Lakhi
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Her passion for the past 25 years has been to provide health and wellness services related to the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. As a community leader and wellness advocate, she provides Dietary Solutions with a solid foundation in our well-being journey.
Ashwin Lakhi
Vice President of Security & Infrastructure
Ashwin is a passionate, self-starter who oversees objectives and key projects do support the growth of the organization. Ashwin’s innovative project management and cross-collaboration strategies allow all areas of the business to run efficiently.
Melissa Baumbach
Vice President of Operations
Melissa strengthens every relationship and ensures exemplary customer service while promoting industry-leading, personalized nutrition services. Melissa is driven to provide strategic solutions in areas that impact health care facilities including regulatory compliance, nutritional excellence, dining programs, food cost management, QAPI, and PDPM.
Denise Fedorek
Director of Business Development
Denise has more that twenty-five years of experience in Nutrition and Dietetics. Her background includes Clinical Nutrition management and Food Service management roles. She also has experience in cost control, training, education and menu development. Denise has a strong passion for gerontological nutrition and the elderly population. In her free time, Denise enjoys traveling to beaches, softball games, concerts, and spending time with her family.
Chauntel Horaney
Director of Human Resources
Chauntel is a certified Human Resources professional skilled in aligning HR processes with business objectives. Her areas of expertise include talent acquisition and onboarding, training and professional development, creating organizational processes, and enhancing the overall employee experience. In her free time, Chauntel enjoys participating in community activities and spending time with her family.
Marcy Cook
Regional Director of Operations
Marcy’s passion for food and nutrition has been evident throughout her 23-year career in dietetics. Focusing on the health and well-being of others, much of this experience has been in post-acute care. Marcy is a graduate of Youngstown State University, and enjoys traveling, cooking, running, and yoga. Most days are not complete without a walk with her Labrador Retriever.
Dawn Howard
Regional Director of Operations
Dawn has more than twenty-five years of experience in Nutrition and Dietetics. Her background includes Clinical Nutrition management and Food Service management roles. Dawn has experience in various settings but her true passion is for gerontological nutrition and the residents she serves. In her free time, Dawn enjoys the company of her fur babies, hiking, going to concerts, and spending time with her family.
“I started working with Dietary Solutions in late 2020 and I have consistently had a positive experience with the services and support to our facilities and to the organization. The Registered Dieticians and Dietary Technicians are well trained, knowledgeable on the skilled nursing facility industry, and customer service focused. They are truly part of the team in how they coordinate regulatory compliance, interdisciplinary approaches, and survey management. The featured services of nutrition management, survey compliance, kitchen sanitation compliance, menu planning, and meal service stand out to the professional looking for a quality nutritional consultant service that blends like an internal part of the team.
The attributes of the Dietary Solutions team members are a direct reflection of the leadership’s vision and mission. Working with Kay Lakhi, CEO and Melissa Baumback, Vice President of Operations is seamless and effortless as they are flexible and in tune with the needs of our individual organization and assure quality nutritional care for our patients and customer services for our company as a whole. During the covid crisis, the leadership worked with their team members and with our facilities to rebound systems that were impacted by the effects of the pandemic and staffing challenges, allowing our facilities to see positive nutritional outcomes for our residents and successes for our facilities.”
