Menu Development
Themed Meal
A Taste of the Tropics -- Cilantro lime chicken served with a tropical fruit salsa and cilantro lime quinoa
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As a final learning objective during the food service rotation, I developed and executed a themed menu item to be served as the daily special in the hospital cafeteria. Prior to implementation, I sat down with the nutrition manager, lead cook, and procurement supervisor, and food service supervisor to purchase the necessary food and plan the final menu items.
In addition to the menu being served on the cafe service line, I needed to develop educational materials that related to the dish and the reason for serving this particular dish. The educational handouts touched upon increasing fruit and vegetable intake by incorporating a fruit salsa, and also an easy cooking tip on using marinades as these tenderize lean meats. I'm a firm believer that healthy does not have to be expensive or complicated and was an inspiration for this assignment. These menu items utilize minimal ingredients, however, they do not skimp on flavor. Part of the project was to advertise for the daily special and to post marketing materials around the hospital and in elevators. See these promotional handouts below. |
Costing Analysis
a costing analysis was conducted on all components of the themed meal
Costing Analysis |
Recipe Cards
including the recipe, nutritional information as well as nutrition education based on components of the recipes
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Educational Materials
personally developed and distributed
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Sensory Evaluations
Catered Meal
Lunch and Learn Grab-n-Go -- Chicken Caprese Sandwich and Strawberry and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad
I assisted the cold prep and catering staff on a lunch-and-learn for the nurses. The nurses had a day full of continuing education sessions and workshops, therefore, they wanted grab-and-go type lunch items. The items prepared were chicken caprese sandwiches on whole wheat buns and strawberry and goat cheese spinach salads.
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Recipe Cards
including the recipe, nutritional information as well as nutrition education based on components of the recipes
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Costing Analysis
a costing analysis was conducted for each item served during the catered meal
Strawberry Salad Costing |
Caprese Sandwich Costing |