Healthcare Design - May 2016 - 44

Designed by the Culinary
Institute of America with
interiors by Stanley Beaman
& Sears, the teaching kitchen
at The Children's Hospital
of San Antonio will take
a proactive approach to
address childhood obesity.

44

HCDmagazine.com 05.16

Eat well, live well

As a hands-on way to encourage wellness,
more and more health systems are on a
mission to show and tell their communities how
to eat well. Introducing demonstration kitchens,
some with mini-auditoriums, has become an
innovative way for hospitals to engage the
public in disease prevention and management.
Interactive classes incorporate food
samplings, practical tips, and take-home
recipes. Some classes home in on special
diets-diabetic, weight-control, heart-healthy-
while others give children a head start in
learning how to assemble nutritious and
delicious meals.
"We want people to be able take the
knowledge they gain from our chefs and
dietitians and apply it to their own homes," says
Jerry Roche, director of integrated services
at Watertown Regional Medical
Center (WRMC) in Watertown, Wis.
WRMC opened an addition
that includes its Wellness Works
environment, a new dining area, and
the Harvest Community Kitchen
in late 2013. It was designed
by Eppstein Uhen Architects
(Milwaukee). Outfitted with
stainless steel appliances, the
demo kitchen is positioned just
off the main lobby, where it piques
the curiosity of visitors who can peer
through its glass doors.

participants "leave feeling full, and they
leave with a good experience. We use a
model that healthy food is our foundation,
and food is powerful medicine," Roche
says.
Demonstration kitchens dovetail nicely
with the concept of nutrition delivered with
homegrown products. The more these
venues resemble residential kitchens-
with wood cabinets, granite countertops,
and neutral tones-the more they resonate
with participants.
"It feels like the kitchen in anyone's
home. It's a very warm, inviting
environment," says John S. Barker,
executive vice president at Hobbs+Black
Architects (Ann Arbor, Mich.), which
designed the demonstration kitchen at
Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital
in suburban Detroit. The kitchen, which
opened in 2009 within the new hospital,
can serve 83 people.
Here, various chefs take turns leading
classes for adults, schoolchildren, and
seniors. They try to include at least
one ingredient from the hospital's
hydroponic organic greenhouse, which
was built solely with philanthropic dollars,
says Rob Hindley, executive chef and
manager of culinary wellness.
In addition to the hospital's culinary staff,
"we welcome chefs from the community
to come in and teach classes to mix it
up a little bit and add their own flair," he
says. Some sessions are offered for free,
while others might cost between $25 and
$35. In the future, they may be recorded

STANLEY BEAMAN & SEARS ARCHITECTS

A kitchen island with a granite
countertop serves as the focal point for
food preparation that promotes wellness.
High stools stationed around the island
can cater to small groups ranging from
six to eight participants, while tables and
chairs on casters can accommodate as
many as 50 observers.
Big-screen TVs feature close-ups of
meals in the making. Adult tastings often
include a glass of wine, and all sessions
aim to incorporate fresh produce from
the hospital's 10,000-square-foot garden.
Seasonal items, herbs, and spices round
out the selections.
For a cost of $15 to $30 per class,
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Healthcare Design - May 2016

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