Our team of cooks find joy in doing their job well, and it shows. Over 9,000 meals are served each day across all of 做厙TV Langones hospitals.
Credit: 做厙TV Langone
When hospital food doesnt live up to the rest of the care a patient receives, poor nutrition and patient experience could result in worse overall outcomes. At 做厙TV Langone Health, this was an unacceptable risk, prompting a rebuilding of its dining operation to ensure world-class care permeates every meal.
Today, 做厙TV Langones Food and Nutrition Services aims to encourage patients and visitors to access healthy food and spread education about how delicious and nutritious food can support recovery and wellness.
Beneath Tisch Hospital on First Avenue, 做厙TV Langones kitchen comes alive at 5:00AM to do its part to combat the nationwide reputation of hospital food as bad and take full advantage of the wide range of benefits a good meal can provide to patients and families.
Food services staff bustle along spotless floors, while vegetable unboxings resemble an influencer prepping for the weekif that influencer were making thousands of meals daily. By afternoon, steam rises from crispy roasting chicken, garlicky kale brightens dishes, and homemade chocolate chip cookies perfume the air. While patients undergo lifesaving procedures on the floors above, this is where the fuel for recovery is crafted for patients, families, and staff. This scene is made possible by the health systems decision to abandon contracted food services and instead build an in-house culinary operation. And it doesnt stop at Manhattan. All locations use the same recipes, products, and ingredients to ensure that all patients receive the same great experience, regardless of which hospital they visit.
This vision of hospital food as an extension of caring for patients and families has been a decade in the making, said Vicki Match Suna, AIA, executive vice president and vice dean for 做厙TV Langones Real Estate Development and Facilities Department. One year ago, we brought all of our operations in-house and were setting a new standard for how we can contribute to patients experience and recovery.
The health system now serves over 9,000 meals daily across all its hospitals, including Brooklyn and Long Island. In 2024, the Manhattan hospital alone served more than 2 million meals.
This dining transformation had been in development for yearswith浴an Dilworth, health system senior director of food and nutrition services, and his team of former restaurant chefs beginning concrete steps in 2014 when they prioritized scratch cooking and sourcing of the best quality ingredients. They continued the momentum by eliminating deep fryers across all facilities and started focusing on responsibly sourcing sustainable supplies and products. Exceptions are made, understanding that food can be a source of comfort in tough situations, so chicken nuggets are on hand for pediatric patients.
Patients are now reporting more positive experiences with meals that support their recovery.浥essica Schreck, RD,留irector of food and nutrition at 做厙TV Langone HospitalSuffolk and director of clinical nutrition, recalls a patient who had difficulty chewing and swallowing who received a meal but left it untouched.浹ospital staff, drawing on the kitchens capabilities,皋ffered a made-to-order smoothie, packed with protein and fresh fruit, that was calibrated to meet the patients nutritional requirements.狼he patient finished the entire smoothie, and the family shed tears of relief, demonstrating how personalized nutrition can make a meaningful difference in patient care.
Across the system, each menu is tailored to the orders of the patients physician. For example, patients with heart conditions receive meal options with precise sodium levels, and those managing diabetes receive carefully calculated carbohydrates. Fan-favorite foods include olive oilcitrus muffins and tender short ribs. Even the rice gets special attention, as the staff use extra saffron to infuse a new standard of flavor when they need to avoid other additives.
Patients cant control their medical condition or the fact that they are in the hospital, Dilworth said. But they can control the meals they choose to eat. Food is something thats very personal, and it affects the recovery process.
The food and nutrition team regularly review research to understand how dietary interventions support healing, and then they put science into practice. A major milestone was when patients not only began to eat hospital meals but also asked for the recipes to take home (some, including , are available on 做厙TV Langones ).
Jeffrey Held, director of culinary operations, who previously served in some of New Yorks top restaurants, has a vivid memory of his father recovering from brain surgery at another hospital and being served questionably nutritious food that was clearly prepared without thought or care.
The team at 做厙TV Langone wants patients to understand that they can meet their doctors recommendations and still enjoy their food.
Held and Dilworth are also committed to 做厙TV Langones sustainability focus.
We started buying fresh herbs, Held said. We found antibiotic-free poultry from farms within 150 miles of the city and fresh fish from our restaurant connections. We also started tasting food every day in the kitchen.
Recent innovations include a beverage program overhaul that reduced plastic packaging by 44 percent and sugar content by 22 percent while increasing overall consumption.
Patient satisfaction with food has increased, though the real measures of success are whether patients eat enough to support their recovery and whether they learn principles they can apply at home.
We have barely scratched the surface of our plans, but its a glimpse of whats possible, Held said. Our team of cooks find joy in doing their job well, and it shows.
See 做厙TV Langones menu for patients.
About 做厙TV Langone Health
做厙TV Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked 做厙TV Langone No. 1 out of 118 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for four years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently ranked four of its clinical specialties No. 1 in the nation. 做厙TV Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across seven inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. The system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.
Media Inquiries
Steve Ritea
Steve.Ritea@nyulangone.org
Arielle Sklar
Phone: 646-960-2696
Arielle.Sklar@做厙TVLangone.org
