Spirit of Southeast Management Award Recipients

The
Shining
I
Star
Café
n Southeast Hospital’s newly remodeled cafeteria,
“Fresh Inspirations” is more than just a new sign
on the wall. It reflects a new philosophy of serving
freshly made food and creating a dining experience
for everyone from employees to visitors.
“We don’t buy anything pre-made,” says J.D.
Webster, director of Food & Nutrition Services at
Southeast and one of two Executive Chefs. The
bright green paint and modern signage convey an
upbeat feeling in the Shining Star Café.
A Vital Service
Webster says the cafeteria is a vital service.
“You can’t live without food,” he notes. And the café
goes through a lot of food each year – 65,000 pounds
of ground beef, 31,000 pounds of lettuce and 8,900
pounds of chicken tenders.
The cafeteria, which is part of Food & Nutrition
Services, has about two dozen employees –
everything from cooks to cashiers, who now sport
colorful uniforms which were unveiled at the end
of September. “We now have the full chef regalia,”
Webster notes. Each uniform color identifies a
different work station. Red is worn by those who
grill food, black is for the kitchen cooks, white is for
servers, green is for salad bar staff, brown is worn
The newly-remodeled cafeteria boasts a fresh,
updated feel to enhance the dining experience.
At right, Sodexo resource manager Jerome O’Keefe
shows the new serving area for hot entrées.
The café goes Through a loT
of food each year, including 65,000
pounds of ground beef,
31,000 pounds of leTTuce and 8,900
pounds of chicken Tenders.
by those who work the “Innovations” station where
food is made to order. Cashiers wear tunics. It’s all
part of the dining experience, Webster says.
All Cooked Up
There’s no shortage of mealtime. “We are
open for breakfast, lunch, supper and late night
(1:30 to 3:30 a.m.), Webster notes. “We start cooking
at 5 a.m.” Breakfast is served, starting at 6 a.m.
The café serves up an average of 35 breakfast
sandwiches and 38 omelets a day. “We cook 35
pounds of bacon and 15 pounds of sausage every
morning.” The cafeteria crew bakes fresh biscuits
three times each morning.
The café recently began offering waffles,
serving more than 500 in the first month alone.
Webster says the food is always fresh. “From the
time it is cooked to the time it is sold is no longer
than 15 minutes,” he adds.
You won’t find any frozen pizzas here. “Our
pizzas are hand tossed and hand rolled,” he points
out.
A Huge Shopping List
The cafeteria has a huge shopping list. “We
order in 700 pounds of produce three times a week.
Café staff members from
left: (front row) Grill Cook
Brandon Olson, Relief
Cook Angela Stephens,
Cashier Debbie Slinkard,
Cook Terri Mayberry,
Cashier Sherry Welker;
(second row) Executive
Chef Kelly Fields, Deli
worker Sharon Nelson,
Director J.D. Webster,
Clinical Nutrition
Manager Rebekah
Crowder, Retail Manager
Nick Brown and
Innovations Cook Jesse
Bosecker.
We order in over a ton of produce every week,”
Webster says. That includes produce for patient
meals. But the majority of the produce is used in the
cafeteria which has an extensive salad bar.
“We have over 35 items on our salad bar. We
make our own fried onions, potato salad, tuna salad
and chicken salad every day,” he notes. The café uses
plenty of bananas too, some 360 pounds a week.
The café dispenses over 400 gallons of
beverages a month, not counting bottled drinks.
It goes through 58 cases of bottled drinks a week,
Webster says. With 24 bottles in a case, that’s 1,392
bottled drinks each week.
Pleasing the Customers
Customers of the Shining Star Café like their
desserts too. “We sell on average 130 pieces of pie
and pieces of cake and dessert bars every day,”
Webster points out. “We sell 87 of the large cookies
every day.”
Since taking over as director in June, a whole
new Food & Nutrition Services management
team has been put in place. The café staff tries to
accommodate the dining desires of every customer,
he says. “If we have it available, we make it. Our job is
to please the customer 200 percent.”
Geese to Raccoons, Everything was
Fair Game for Hospital Meals
When Southeast Hospital first opened its
doors, paying the grocery bill often was
difficult. Hospital supporters routinely donated
everything from butter to meat or money to pay
the grocery wholesaler.
Church groups stepped in to help, offering
to can fruits and vegetables grown in the
Hospital gardens. With 25 cents of every Hospital
dollar going to food (a main dish frequently
served patients was 10-cents-a-pound bologna),
donations of foodstuffs were eagerly accepted
by the Hospital.
In 1929, five hunters were apprehended
with illegal game. Two contraband geese, two
raccoons and 29 quail ended up in the Hospital’s
cooking pots.
The Hospital operated a chicken coop in
its early years to provide a steady supply of eggs
and poultry for patient meals. The chicken coop
also allowed the Hospital to take poultry in lieu
of money for patient bills.
Patients often would pay their bills by
turning over a dozen live hens, a piglet or boxes
of sweet corn or tomatoes to the cashier.
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