Healthcare Chefs to Watch: Healthcare recipe contest Best in Show Chef Brittney Horn on hidden Midwestern foodways, wellness inspiration

When you think of Illinois, Chicago is often the location your brain zeroes in on, especially if you’re a foodie. But as we find out in this geography-centric episode, there’s a lot more to the state, and parts of Illinois are closer to Memphis than the Windy City! Southern Illinois is where HHS Chef Brittany Horn learned the ropes of foodservice at a pizza restaurant.

Now in Kentucky, Horn is feeding the hospital community—retail and patient side, along with skilled nursing for seniors—with the HHS team at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset, KY.

When feeding such a diverse population, Horn focuses on healthy food for all, including doctors and nurses who are interested in feel-good food, rather than greasy comfort food. She talks about adjusting to a new region from a culinary perspective. “It’s been a learning curve,” she says. Developing recipes for Horn is a balance of health and comfort. Garlic shrimp has been a big hit and so has a black bean burger. We also chat about her cool new plans for using new ingredients in future menu items.