Whole Foods inspires Wis. Hospital café

APPLETON, Wis. — Would you go to a hospital to get a bite to eat? The staff at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton hopes to entice you to do just that.

Its new cafeteria, called the Marketplace, opens Monday.

It's the opposite of an institutional hospital cafeteria look with its lofty ceilings, natural light, modern furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a courtyard that will eventually have gardens and a fountain.

The food, too, has been lightened up, and channels the spirit of a Whole Foods Market's prepared food department.

"I want to change people's views on cafeteria food and hospital food," said Matt Luangla, St. Elizabeth's new executive chef. "Its upscale and fresh. It's restaurant-quality food cooked from scratch. When people see the place, I definitely think they'll like it. It's a great place for a business lunch, a meeting or for families."

St. Elizabeth's chief medical officer Dr. Larry Donatelle and then-president Travis Andersen began designing the cafeteria in 2008.

"Travis and I collaborated on the concept. We wanted to be able to provide fresh, healthy food in an atmosphere that promoted the health and well-being of the people using the facility," said Donatelle. "We wanted to improve the nutritional value and appeal of the foods and support local farm-to-table suppliers, specifically Riverview Gardens."

Step one, taken years ago, was doing away with french fryers.

They looked at Whole Foods' display techniques and high nutritional content. They talked to Bon Appetit, the company that operates Lawrence University's Andrew Commons. St. E's new cafeteria has similar food stations.

"It's an open concept and much of it is self-serve," said Donatelle. "It has hot and cold service lines and we'll have food prepared to order."

Chef Luangla said the mix includes gluten-free options, stir-fry pasta tosses, sushi and a few entrees made with "Biggest