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When you think of hospital food, gourmet is not the word that comes to mind. So when we were visiting the "gastro"-enterology suite at Norwalk Hospital the other day for a test – yes, that test – and volunteer greeter Mark Rosenberg proudly stated that Norwalk has the "best hospital food in the world" as well as a "professional chef" our curiosity was whetted. We asked to meet him.
"It's not like watching 'House,'" executive chef Jeffrey Schack says of the current state of hospital food. "It's much more gourmet than that."
And with Schack's 62-member kitchen staff preparing dishes such as mussels marinara for the hospital's "captive audience," gourmet sounds about right. Schack, a former music teacher who learned the art of cooking in his father's New York restaurant, says the idea is to keep the flavors interesting. He says he will often urge his associates "to make their heritage" – something they learned growing up. The one caveat is that every dish must conform to the diet specified by hospital nutritionists.
"Mitzvah," Schack says, "good deed. It's a Yiddish word my grandmother taught me. We do a good deed here every day."
Mazel tov!
Have you been a patient or visitor at Norwalk Hospital recently and sampled the food? What did you think? Share your review below.
Comments (2)
Last week, I spent 5 1/2 days in Norwalk Hospital. For the first three days, I was on IV only. But when I was allowed to eat solid foods, I was amazed at the variety available to me, even on a restricted diet. There was pot roast, chicken parmesan, stuffed chicken breast, many types of sandwiches and French Toast or pancakes for breakfast. Dessert was chocolate mousse, which was delicious. Not only that, the kitchen staff came around to take personal orders, and were very accommodating as to substitutions. The food was far, far better than any airline food I've experienced.
And Jeffrey, good for you for having that "test." The one I had probably saved my life.
ok, this was a couple of years ago, but before I retired, when I was working in one of Norwalk's elementary schools, I had a panic attack that the school nurse insisted deserved a trip to Norwalk Hospital and I ended up in Telemetry, had to spend the night, the whole 9 yard. I wasn't worried, I KNEW it had been a panic attack, but still I was being kept there because they thought I MIGHT have had one - and breakfast was eggs, sausage, home fries and some kind of white bread product. The only thing heart healthy was the cereal. I didn't eat the breakfast, except for the cereal, so I can't comment on how it tasted but if that's somebody's idea of what a potential possible heart patient should have for breakfast . . .? And I don't remember what it was but what they gave me for dinner the night before wasn't as good as coach airline food back in the days when the airlines fed you!