Staff report

Rowan Regional Medical Center now offers a new menu of food choices in its cafeteria and Hospitality Shop with the arrival of Morrison’s Food Service as the vendor for the Food and Dietary Department.
Rick Parker, senior director of professional and support services for the medical center, said, “The primary reason we entered into a contractual relationship with Morrison’s Healthcare Food Services is to bring a unique dining experience to Rowan Regional Medical Center, not only for our visitors and staff, but for our patients as well.”
The cafeteria will offer more variety of food venues or stations, giving visitors a new upscale dining experience with Morrison’s nationally-branded partners and established chefs. As part of the transition, Rowan Regional is extending the hours of “Café Rowan” another hour and half, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In its first week at Rowan Regional, Parker said Morrison’s received rave reviews.
“Staff have stated to me that they would like an extra 15 minutes at lunch,” he said, “because they just want to kind of window shop while they’re in there to try and determine what they want to select to eat.’
Others have jokingly asked if the medical center plans to start providing weight-loss classes, he said, “because they are expecting to gain weight from all the delicious entrees and desserts they have.”Charlotte-based Ed Adams, one of about 16 certified master chefs in the country, was at Rowan Regional last week to give live cooking demonstrations. Parker said Adams’ fried chicken on Wednesday was a big hit.
“One comment I heard was from an employee who said, ‘That was the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life, including my mother’s,’ ” he said. “Chef Ed said he hoped he doesn’t tell his mother that.”
The fried chicken recipe, developed in the 1920s, came from Morrison’s recipe archives. Parker said Adams will be at the cafeteria several times a month. Interns from the Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts in Charlotte will also be working at Café Rowan.
As part of the transition, Café Rowan was revamped with more vibrant colors and a brighter atmosphere, both adding to diners’ satisfaction.
“Come and have lunch or dinner with us,” Parker said. “We’d like to be on the list of restaurants of choice when people think about where they would like to go eat tonight.”
Serving as the largest independent company focused exclusively on healthcare food services, Morrison Management Specialists’ Food Services division has been serving Presbyterian Hospital since 1999. A member of the Compass Group, Morrison’s Healthcare Food Services’ sole focus is feeding patients, visitors and hospital staff.John Williamson, Morrison Healthcare’s regional director of operations, said, “Our goal is to create a whole new dining experience with food. For example, we’ll provide more ‘grab and go’ options, where you can get items like a fresh chicken Caesar salad, a tuna wrap or a combo meal, all made fresh that morning.” All 60 or so Food and Nutrition Services employees will become Morrison’s employees.
For an idea of what Morrison’s Healthcare Services will bring to Rowan Regional, view a 360-degree view of the Presbyterian Hospital Matthews’ cafe at this Web site: www.worldofcompass.com/matthewspresbyterian.