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Meals With Love

March 17, 2009 on 11:54 am | In Main Category | No Comments

Here at Open Hand, we often sum up our mission with the simple phrase, meals with love. We believe that the power of food extends beyond nutrition; we are firm believers in the power of healthy food but we also recognize that food plays a role in our lives that goes beyond simply nourishing the body. The Philadelphia Examiner has a great article on the role of nutrition food in cancer patient care:

Certified Master Chef Jack Shoop is a man who appreciates the health value of organic foods. In August 2008, the Culinary Institute of America’s honors graduate, educator, and restaurateur returned to his native Philadelphia to put his extraordinary culinary skills to work as Executve Chef, now also Director of the Dietary Department, at that city’s Cancer Treatment Centers of America facility, whose care model revolves around an individualized, integrated, patient-centered approach to treating advanced cases of cancer.

Charged with revitalizing the culinary and dining experience, one of the aspects of the Center’s whole-person treatment model, Chef Shoop is doing just that. A key ingredient he and his staff of 51 serve in every dish they prepare is that which comes from the heart: a deeply caring attitude. “Why am I doing this?” he asks. “For one reason, it’s going to give the cancer patients a better opportunity for them to get a second chance. What impact is it going to have on our patients, that’s what it comes down to.”

We applaud Chef Shoop and we encourage you to read the rest of the story, here.