The kitchen and cafeteria in the new Pavilion were designed with floor-to-ceiling windows, a large relaxed seating area, and top-of-the-line cooking equipment. There’s a made-to-order salad station, a large grilling area where the food is made in front of customers, and a stone pizza oven to bake authentic Philly pizza with homemade dough.
Anthony Avalone, resident district manager of Food and Nutrition for HUP, said expanding into the Pavilion sets the stage for the food services team to build on its mission of using fresh, healthy, locally sourced food throughout the hospital to nourish and recharge staff, visitors, and patients.
“This is a culinarian’s dream,” Avalone said. “We now have the space and the equipment to execute our goals.”
In the two years that family-owned AVIFoodSystems has provided food services at HUP, Avalone says the company has prioritized food quality and customer service, from the menu offerings to the Ambassadors who visit patients’ rooms throughout the day to take their meal orders in person.
The food services team has built a menu based on the local Good Food, Healthy Hospitals initiative to promote good health care through good food choices. Earlier this year, the HUP Food Services team received Platinum Status — the highest level of distinction the Good Food, Healthy Hospital program offers. That means offering a wide variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables; prioritizing unprocessed meat; and expanding the selections of local, sustainable whole foods.
While the new space will have slightly different programming, the team intends for the menus and events to be replicated across both cafeterias.
“Our goal really is to have the same program across both campuses,” Avalone said. “We've already built the program here, and it's been very successful, and we're mirroring that program across the street.”