All Dietitians

Sole with Tarragon Cream Sauce by LaBonte from California

It’s not your same old fish for dinner—Sole with Tarragon Cream Sauce is elegant and easy. LaBonte from California says this quick recipe is ideal for people who don’t usually like fish, so give it a try.

LaBonte grew up in Fairfield, California and graduated from UC Davis. “I decided to become a dietitian after my father had a heart attack. I learned about making diet and lifestyle changes when he met with a dietitian. I always loved the sciences and felt this would be an excellent way to put that knowledge to a specific use.”

“I got into the renal field after working for 22 years in a hospital setting in various capacities—as a clinical inpatient dietitian, administrative department head and as an outpatient dietitian,” shares LaBonte. “I was ready for a change when I spoke to a colleague who worked for DaVita and knew of an opening at a local clinic. I had the opportunity to learn just how incredible our kidneys are, and how many facets of our physiology they affect. Now, I’ve been with DaVIta for three-and-a-half years, and as a result, have met some truly remarkable people that I might never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.”

“The most rewarding aspect of my job is to see my patients’ quality of life improve as they stabilize and meet their health goals. Exploring for suitable, palatable, inexpensive and easily-attainable protein sources and supplements has helped more of my patients eat adequate protein and meet their albumin goals. The single most important thing patients can do to improve health, in my opinion, is to actually believe they can make the numerous changes we ask of them.”

LaBonte share a special memory from when she first started working at DaVita. “I was working with an elderly patient who reminisced about his wife who had recently passed away. He was feeling hopeless and wondering what life had left for him. We talked further, and then I asked the social worker come in for the compassionate work they do.  I ‘held it together’ until I got to my office then ‘lost it’ in tears. Even though we care so much for our patients, I felt like I should hide my feelings. The next thing I knew my facility administrator, Lorrie, walked in with a warm, supportive hug and kind words. We do all we can to support our patients, but as a team we also rally around each other to continue to give this ‘service of life’.”

“My center is special due to the incredibly loving and caring teammates that work here. We work hard as a team, but still have laughter and fun every day. And we share that with our patients.”

Try LaBonte’s Sole with Tarragon Sauce from sunny California—the dish for people who don’t usually like fish.

Recipe

• Sole with Tarragon Cream Sauce