St. Louis Children's Hospital chef provides nourishing meals

ST. LOUIS—Certain places have reputations for serving bad food. Places where you’re stuck with few options under cramped conditions. Airplanes. Jails. And, of course, hospitals.

Robert Grotha, executive chef at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, doesn’t think that way about hospital food. To him, the job is an opportunity to surprise patients, families and staff who expect not much more than chocolate pudding and soggy pizza.

“This is a healing environment. The food we make and prepare is medicine,” said Grotha, 27. “You can’t serve bland, unseasoned food you gotta drink through a straw.”