Failure™ Magazine

Parker Adventist features best hospital chef

Written by Jason Zasky  as part of Failure Analysis

A U.S. hospital remains one of the most dangerous places you may find yourself, but at least the food won’t kill you.

In recent years, countless hospitals have hired gourmet chefs — many from big-name hotels and trendy restaurants — to oversee their food service operations, thereby rehabilitating the reputation of hospital cafeteria food.

In fact, the National Society for Healthcare Food Service Management (HFM) has even established an annual culinary competition designed to identify America’s best hospital chef.

Last week Daniel Skay, executive chef at Parker Adventist Hospital, in Parker, Colorado, beat out four other finalists for the health care food service industry’s gold medal at the 2009 HFM Culinary Competition in Indian Wells, California.

The winning dish—a machaca flat-iron steak with cilantro tomalito and corn chile sauce (pictured above)—is not only tasty, it’s healthy too. Contest rules provide that entries cannot exceed 600 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 1,000 milligrams of sodium. The ingredients can’t cost more than five dollars, either.

Now if hospitals could only get those skyrocketing health care costs under control.