Hospital plants garden to serve better food

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Scott Brinker became interested in gardening when he was just a youngster.

Now the executive chef and assistant director of food and nutrition at Rapid City Regional Hospital is making use of his horticultural hobby at work.

Brinker recently planted a garden on the grounds of the hospital after noticing a vacant spot in the common area near the hospital’s cafeteria.

“The cafeteria is all fronted with glass that looks out like a picnic area,” Brinker said, explaining that he noticed the area was covered with rocks. That’s when he was hit with the idea to spruce up the place.

“I thought, ‘Well, heck, we should use some of that space for some gardening,’ so I got clearance through the administration of the hospital and secured financing through the Rapid City Regional Hospital Foundation,” he said.

With the help of his employees, Brinker and his staff began construction on the garden. They’ve been busy prepping the area for 14 different herbs and three types of flowers that they plan to grow.

“We’ll have oregano, basil, thyme, sage, lavender — we’ll plant some flowering herbs back here in hopes of attracting some bees and butterflies,” Brinker said. “It just kind of gives a place for people to appreciate, sit out during the summer, eat their meal and appreciate the garden and give me a little something for special events, that I can say, ‘We’re growing this right here on the hospital grounds,’” said Brinker who has been a chef for more than 20 years and plans to cook meals for employees and special events with his fresh herb yield.

“I make a lemon basil shrimp and I’m planning on planting 16 plants of just basil,” Brinker said, adding that they will also plant ornamental tomatoes to provide color to the garden and edible flowers that will add fragrance and color to his specialty dishes. He also hopes to add Native American pottery made by local artists in order to include the area’s Native American culture.

Theresa Nordin, registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist at Rapid City Regional Hospital is also helping with the garden. She has been a Master Gardener since 2008 and says when she learned about the project, she was excited to lend her expertise to Brinker.