Premier Holds Culinary Clinic in Charlotte

Corporate Chef Michael Terry of Advance Food Co. teaches attendees at Premier’s Charlotte roadshow stop about new and creative ways to prepare cooked meats in a session titled “Thinking outside the Philly Steak.”

More than 20 chefs and foodservice executives representing 15 hospitals, eldercare centers and universities across North Carolina attended the Premier Healthcare Alliance two-day Culinary Clinic August 19 and 20 in Charlotte, NC.

The eighth leg of Premier's 10-stop Culinary Clinic summer tour featured some of the nation's top chefs hosting educational sessions around providing delicious, nutritious, affordable and environmentally friendly food to patients and their families, as well as to hospital employees. For example, one focus area covered enhancing the dining experience for patients who have chewing and swallowing difficulties via more appetizing puree.

The 2008 tour represents the sixth consecutive year that Premier has hosted the Culinary Clinic events, says Debby Kasper RD, LD, manager of clinical nutrition. Attendance continues to climb with events reaching capacity across the country, but Kasper said Premier intends to keep a more intimate format with attendance totals not exceeding 25 students per session.

“The importance of high quality, nutritious food for patients cannot be stressed enough,” she says. “Our goal is to work with our alliance members to educate them on how they can create delicious, nutritious and environmentally-friendly dishes that patients will look forward to eating. The goal is to improve the overall patient experience.”