By Neale Gulley
The Tonawanda News
TOWN OF TONAWANDA —
The sterilized halls of Kenmore Mercy Hospital have been filled recently with the wholesome scent of freshly cut herbs.
“Because the hospital uses substantial quantities of food, we have made a commitment to sustainable cuisine,” Kathy McAlpine, manager of food services, said. “Our cooks come up here every day ... they’ll walk through the hallway and the aroma just floats through the halls.”
While the two small raised-bed gardens packed with a vibrant array of basil, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme and grape tomatoes isn’t yet sustaining the entire menu, it is spicing up the hospital’s “go green” efforts while also registering as a hit with hospital chefs.
“This is just a start for us but we hope to do more,” McAlpine, who has a culinary degree from Alfred State, said. “There was an article about the local hotels bringing in herb gardens and if it can work for a hotel it can definitely work for a hospital.”
The $800 grant to construct the garden was donated by the hospital’s foundation.
But aside from the culinary kudos the garden earns the hospital’s cafeteria and patient meals (served by staff complete with cummerbunds and bow-ties), the fresh herbs are viewed as a benefit to patient care by those like Annele Neyman, an outpatient dietitian at the hospital.
“I think basically we want the healthy foods to taste great,” she said. “We can use less sodium to reduce blood pressure for those at risk ... we can use less fatty ingredients — and they can be a source of anti-oxidants to protect against heart disease and cancer.”
In addition, she said, using such herbs can aid in weight loss by compensating for a variety of fatty ingredients and can sweeten some dishes, eliminating the reliance on sugar.
And of course, everybody agrees fresh ingredients add flavor. Good flavor means patients whose appetites are compromised are more likely to eat nutritious foods essential to their recovery.
“Many of the chefs that we’re hiring now come from some serious restaurants so we’re harnessing their knowledge,” McAlpine said. “For example one of our cooks just said if you chop some basil and put it on the plate it will keep (bugs) away. So it’s just multi-faceted.”
Chef Vinny Richter said there’s been a noticeable difference in the taste of the soups the hospital offers in its daily breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
“It makes them taste a lot better instead of using dried or store bought. And it’s fun, you can take a break from the kitchen for a little bit.”
The garden is located on an outdoor patio accessed from a second-floor waiting room in the hospital’s West Building.
McAlpine said the in-house food service they offer includes catering a range of special events in addition to cafeterias used by visitors and staff and room-service patient meals.
Kitchen hours are from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
