Authentic Latin station debuts at Jackson Memorial

One of the prime attractions in the newly renovated main cafeteria at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami is a Latin American-themed food station called Crisol (which literally means “melting pot”), where diners can get a variety of authentically flavored selections from across Central and South America.

Jackson Memorial is the first location for the concept at a healthcare site. It was developed in partnership between Sodexo and celebrity chef Roberto Santibanez as part of Sodexo’s Love of Food program, “which is our consumer-centric approach that embraces food and healthy, balanced choices, plus culinary innovation, and, in this case, there is also an emphasis on global flavors,” explains Emily Haskell, senior director of retail brands for Sodexo.

“Working with Chef Santibanez helped us bring a strong level of authenticity to Crisol,” Haskell adds. The brand in its initial incarnation at Stony Brook University won a Menu Masters award from FM sister publication Nation’s Restaurant News in 2016.

Dishes include 1) Yuca fries with veggie mayo, 2) Pork Taco with pickled red onion, 3) Grilled chicken torta sandwich with repollo en vinagre and Chihuahua cheese and 4) Pollo quesadilla with negro frijoles with Chihuahua cheese.

At Crisol, the sources of those authentic flavors range from Argentina and Chile in the south to Mexico in the north, while the individual selections include antojos (small plates) like yucca fries, empanadas and tostones; portables (hand-held items) like sandwiches, tacos and Mexican hot dogs; and platos (entrees) like braised pulled pork, skewers of various meats and soups like ajiaco, which sells out about 20 gallons at each lunch period when it is served, according to Michael Dussault, general manager at Jackson Memorial for SodexoMagic, the partnership between Sodexo and Magic Johnson Enterprises that operates dining services at the hospital.

Other exotic menu selections served at Crisol include suncocho, a “very hearty” Columbian chicken soup with a thick, chowder-like base and filled with fresh corn and big chunks of potatoes. “It’s a meal in itself,” says Dussault.

Preparation to open Crisol involved some 75 hours of training per staff member, Dussault says, with hefty contributions from Sodexo corporate, including extended time devoted by the corporate executive chef. Equipment needs for the station were mostly standards like a flattop, a grill, a small fryer and warmers. “We were lucky because the area it was put in already had a hood, so we didn’t have to put too many dollars into renovation,” Dussault adds.

Recipe authenticity even for exotic dishes has drawn raves from customers familiar with them.

Jackson Memorial “looked like a good place to try out Crisol” for healthcare rollout, Haskell notes, because it was undergoing a major renovation of its primary retail dining venue and because of the heavy Latino presence in the surrounding region that could be expected to represent a ready audience for the kinds of things the concept would be menuing.

Crisol at Jackson Memorial operates on a five-week cycle. Popular items like the ajiaco soup, empanadas and Peruvian chicken wings are menu regulars, while the other items rotate to provide constant variety.

Many of the selections have a strong customization component. For instance, the bowl selections let diners choose from among different styles of rice and beans, different proteins and a wide selection of 18 toppings such as marinated onions, pico de gallo and vegetarian mayonnaise.

“It’s been going phenomenally,” Dussault says.

He attributes the station’s popularity to a combination of the region’s large Latino population and the draw of the exotic cuisine to the non-Latino population.

“We get a lot of visitors who come in who say, ‘Oh my God, you serve this?’ and they are delighted at how authentic it is,” he says.

Crisol debuted June 4 at a location that used to be a sushi station before the renovation (the sushi became part of the deli station).

“The best thing about it,” Dussault observes, “is that everything is prepared fresh daily. My team starts at five in the morning [in the central production kitchen], all the protein is marinated a day or two out to get the flavor really infused into them and then it’s all diced, julienned or ground the morning before it’s served. Also, all the sauces are made the same day each day, so the freshness, bold flavors and bright colors” offer tremendous customer appeal, he adds.

The ingredients are brought up to the station an hour or so before Crisol opens at 11 a.m. It stays open until 3 p.m. weekdays and is closed weekends.