September

Northwell Health Is Taking Farm to Bed Seriously

The New York-based hospital system has partnered with a local farm to bring fresh vegetables straight to one of its hospitals.

By Alexandra Zendrian

have nothing for a while and then all of a sudden have so many tomatoes they can’t find enough people to give them to. Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s in Malverne, New York that mostly sells direct-to- consumer, was experiencing that issue this year. A Grossmann family farm for more than 100 years, the staff turned to turned to Northwell Health with their surplus this spring so patients, families and employees can enjoy their fresh produce. eople who have grown tomatoes and done so well know that they often P “We went from 100 pounds to 200 pounds to 1,000 pounds of tomatoes every three days and that wasn’t even getting all of it,” explained Michael D’Angelo, part of the Farm Advisory Committee at Crossroads. “We didn’t want to let hyper-local, nutrient-dense food go to waste.” For Northwell’s Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital, this meant tomato sauce with tomatoes at their ripest – they were a 10-minute car ride away. “The quality is amazing,” said Chef Russell Ficke, CEC, executive chef at LIJ Valley Stream. “The produce was coming in ripe, fresh and firm.” Crossroads Farm’s produce was served first to LIJ Valley Stream patients and then what was leftover was used in the hospital’s cafeteria, where patient’s family members and employees dine. When they stop and think about it, members of the Crossroads Farm team are touched by the impact they are having on patients.

“It means the world to us,” D’Angelo said. Already seeing tremendous value from this partnership, next year LIJ Valley Stream may get a dedicated area of Crossroads Farm and input into what is grown. The menu at Northwell Health hospitals changes seasonally and features items including branzino and rack of lamb, explained Chef Ficke. This change since the onboarding of Chef Bruno Tison, corporate executive chef at Northwell, has been tremendous since Chef Ficke’s start with Northwell 20 years ago when there were items like hot dogs and baked beans. Crossroads Farm has also been evolving. With four acres of land that they can grow on, the farm recently introduced a CSA program and is gaining more wholesale accounts. D’Angelo explains that it’s more than just a production center, it’s a community hub where people come together. Friday nights there is family entertainment and food trucks, in December there is a holiday market and there are also educational program for kids. HOSPITALITY NEWS SEPT | Page 67