Posted by News-Sun, AZ on November 15, 2008 at 19:25:36:
Hospital food never tasted so good
Daily News-Sun
Jaime Palenque and Julie Spelman want to show that hospital food is more than watery beef broth and lime Jell-O.
They took a big step in proving that when they recently brought back a silver medal from the 2008 Culinary Competition of the National Society for Healthcare Food Service Management.
Jaime Palenque is the executive chef at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, and Spelman is the food and nutrition services director.
"We're trying to make people everyday realize that hospital food isn't just Jell-O," said Palenque. "Things are changing right now in the food industry for hospitals around the nation each and every day."
The two won the award for their original recipe, Rainforest Pork Roulade with Mini-Cashew Pesto topped with Acaci Foam and Sweet Plantains. Last year, the duo received a bronze medal for Almond Crusted Chicken with Pomengranate Sauce.
Spelman said hospital chefs around the country participate in the competition, sponsored by Tyson Foods. The cooks had to come up with an original dish, and Palenque said it took more than two months to come up with the recipe that garnered silver.
They only requirement was to use pork tenderloin.
"We tried four to five different recipes before we came up with the right one," Palenque said.
Several members from the Banner Thunderbird kitchen staff helped taste test with food before the contest.
The recipe had to be made at the competition in Virginia, but that caused a problem.
"Our luggage got lost at the airport, so our staff had to overnight the ingredients to us," said Palenque. "We received it two hours before the competition, but thought of other alternative ingredients if we didn't get the stuff in time."
The chef and food administrator said they're proud of the dish, which they have used for catering events at the hospital.
"It's not something we'd give to patients because it's not for everyone's dietary needs," Spelman said. "We did create original dishes just for the hospital however, but this one was just for competition.
Palenque said he's proud of the recipe and all of the food they produce at the hospital, which totals 3,000 meals a day.
"We do mostly simple foods, but every once and a while it's fancy. But that just depends on the occasion," he said.
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