A veteran executive chef with a passion for healthy eating. A 12-acre farm on site that grows kale, eggplant, winter squash and 100 other crops. A menu that changes according to the season.
You may be familiar with farm-to-table restaurants. But have you heard of organic farm-to-hospital food?
Since 2014, the patients, visitors and staff of St. Luke’s University Health Network in Pennsylvania have been the beneficiaries of an unusual, yet expensive undertaking that is about equal parts culinary exploration, environmental sustainability and supporting local farmers.
St. Luke’s, a nonprofit regional medical network based in Bethlehem, PA, is partnering with the Rodale Institute, an organic agriculture advocacy group, on what may be the largest-scale farm-to-hospital program in the United States. USA The St. Luke’s-Rodale Institute Organic Farm at St. Luke’s Anderson Campus in Easton supplies the chain’s 12 hospitals. It also supports a farmers market within the Anderson Campus Hospital, as well as a small retail operation that sells take-out meals, such as grilled vegetable sandwiches.
The hospital menu includes dishes most commonly served in popular restaurants: Thai-spiced chicken rolls with buttery farmhouse lettuce, or nutrient-packed cereal bowls with vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, fennel, and kohlrabi.
St. Luke’s Anderson Campus first opened in 2011 on 500 acres of land, of which only about 50 were occupied by the hospital itself. After deciding that it would be a good idea to create an organic farm on some of the excess land, the hospital contacted the nearby Rodale Institute to gain agricultural experience and explore a possible partnership. The first agricultural season started in 2014 and the rest is history.
“When you think about owning your own organic farm, that’s generally reserved for Michelin-starred restaurants,” says Charles DeLeva, executive chef of the Anderson Campus. “I like to know where my product comes from as a chef, and you can’t do better than that.”
DeLeva’s kitchen team works closely with the agriculture team to update menus seasonally based on current harvests. Tomato basil soup in the summer is swapped out for butternut squash or acorn squash bisque in the fall. The DeLeva team could also review a menu on the fly to use high-quality products to maximum advantage.
“Sometimes I can get 50 pounds of something and say, ‘No matter what I had on the menu, this is so much better. Let’s do it instead. ‘
Patients, employees, and the community have responded with enthusiasm.
“People are impressed that we have invested in it, we have such a large farm and that a lot of the kitchen stuff is from the farm,” says Ed Nawrocki, president of the Anderson Campus.
DeLeva says that St. Luke’s as a whole embraces preparing meals from scratch as much as possible, avoiding deep fryers and using minimally processed foods. Organic produce on hospital doors has introduced more people to clean, fresh and chemical-free food.
“You’d be surprised how many older people have told me they never had organic products. Now they buy it in their own grocery stores, ”says DeLeva, whose patients at the Anderson Campus are mostly 65 or older.
“I have a cute late-night senior who comes to see me and gives me little status reports or updates on her healthy meals at night. ‘I lost 10 pounds’, ‘my blood pressure dropped five points’, you know? And for me, that’s it. “
Despite the payoff, the organic farming association is a money-losing business.
It takes a lot of labor to tend 100 crops, grow up to 100,000 pounds of produce a year, and distribute them to 12 hospitals. And incorporating perishable ingredients into the menu takes a long time. Chefs, for example, must dice, wash and dry produce – time they don’t need to spend on prepackaged vegetables.
Still, “We think it’s a good investment. It’s good for the community, good for the environment, ”says Nawrocki.
Rewards are earned in other ways as well. Nawrocki says the presence of an organic farm on the hospital property helps attract new residents and fellows and generates favorable coverage from St. Luke’s and the Rodale Institute on social media and in the press.
Aslynn Parzanese, interim manager of the organic farm at St. Luke’s-Rodale Institute, applauds St. Luke’s commitment to preventive health. “The hospital is prioritizing healthy foods, rather than prioritizing what might be considered convenient,” he says. “And I think that’s amazing and it must be something universal. I think hospitals around the world could have gardens or even farms like this. “
This fall, St. Luke’s and Rodale are aiming to expand the menu offering. The association is in the middle of hiring a fruit producer. The goal is to start with strawberries and raspberries next season, then expand to blueberries and blackberries.
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