Reimagining Food in Health Care: Healing Starts Here

Let’s not mince words. Any way you slice it, there’s a public perception that something is missing from hospital food. For Matthew Richmond, Manager of Support Services and Food Operations, that missing “something” is heart and soul. “As a chef, I want to savour the food and have a connection to it,” he says. “When I was a patient, I found the hospital food to be nutritious, but I didn’t feel joyful when eating it.” 

Fortunately, Chef Richmond’s two-week hospital stay not only healed him but also fired up his desire to reimagine the food in Fraser Health hospitals and long-term care homes.  

As any chef can attest, a good cook needs a good kitchen. At Peace Arch Hospital, the kitchen is reaching the end of its lifespan and will undergo a transformation from a “prepared and retherm” model—where food is cooked and frozen and then reheated on site—to a full production kitchen where everything is cooked from scratch. At 5,171 square feet, plus 800 square feet of storage, Peace Arch Hospital Foundation is launching a $5 million campaign to fund this project! Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2025 and last approximately 18 months.

“A new production kitchen will allow us to better meet our patients’ nutritional needs and personal preferences with programs such as Choice Dining” says Susan Kelly, Regional Food Operations Manager, Peace Arch Hospital and Ellen Sinclair Kennett Lodge. “When patients have foods they enjoy, they tend to eat better and get stronger, leading to fewer complications and shorter hospital stays.”  

Nutritious and satisfying meals are essential for regaining strength, combatting malnutrition, boosting immune function, and promoting healing. Up to half of all adult patients are malnourished upon hospital admission, according to the Canadian Malnutritional Task Force.  

“Food is medicine and medicine heals,” says Mélissa LeBlanc, Dietitian Practice Leader, Peace Arch Hospital. “We want patients and residents to eat and enjoy the food we’re serving, which will have a positive impact on their mental and physical well-being.” 

And what menu items might patients expect when the kitchen is complete?

“When patients lift the lid, I want them to be hit with a lot of different aromas,” says Steven Courtney, Culinary Food Services Lead at Fraser Health. “The menu might include grilled chicken or braised beef and vibrant vegetables. We will bring in Choice Dining, where patients can pre-order food using an app or by speaking to a menu assistant at their bedside.”  

“When we can give people control in their meal choices, we add the ability to bring increased levels of service and hospitality to our patients and residents,” says Chef Richmond. “In that way, we can treat each person in a more customized manner.” 

“Food is more than fuel, especially for our most vulnerable patients,” adds Stephanie Beck, Chief Executive Officer, Peace Arch Hospital Foundation.  “It’s connection, comfort, and healing. With support from our generous donors, we hope this transformational project will ensure that every patient can receive the kind of meals that not only nourish their body, but feeds their spirit, too.”