Children's hospital builds in classes and a taste of normalcy

When guests at Boston Children’s Hospital walk into the Fresh Food Court cafeteria, opening this summer, they’ll be able to pick up a meal—or some new cooking pointers from the chefs. The hospital’s new Chef’s Playground area is home to cooking demonstrations for patients and their families. The goal: to create a culinary oasis where they can take a break from all that’s going on and enjoy some time together.

“We have families who have been living here for over a year,” says Shawn Goldrick, the hospital’s senior director for patient support services. “What we’ve identified as foodservice is how we can support and care for these families.”

Part of a $11.2 million renovation, the open-air action station is where chefs prepare made-to-order dishes, such as pho noodle bowls, for hospital visitors and employees during lunch and dinner service. Off hours, the space transforms into an arena for chefs to host live cooking classes and demonstrations to expand culinary education for patients and guests.

The new design is focused on fostering interaction between the chefs and students. Goldrick had contractors install a glass sneeze guard for use during meal service that retracts into the front counter, creating an uninterrupted view for demos. Customized high-top chairs accommodate both kids and adults comfortably.

Equipment and cooking surfaces also are arranged to allow chefs to face guests while preparing meals or teaching classes. “[Previously,] it was set up where the cooks’ backs were always to you,” Goldrick says. “There was just no energy.” 

The cooking sessions aim to teach parents how to cook meals for children with specific illnesses, such as diabetes or celiac disease, so they can make appropriate dishes for their children upon returning home from the hospital. Chef’s Playground also is the venue for the hospital’s “Cooking With Kids” sessions that allow six to eight patients to spend time with a chef, preparing simple meals such as quesadillas. (Parents can accompany their children as a way to take a break without leaving the hospital.)

“The parents are so happy, because the kids are being kids,” Goldrick says. “They’re in a hospital, but they are being kids.”