Kids give input on new CHOG menu

The Children’s Hospital of Georgia may be adding new selections to its food services menu thanks to feedback from a handful of children who taste tested several entrees, sides and desserts earlier this month.

The children, who at one time or another were inpatients at the hospital, gathered on the second floor overlook and eagerly loaded their plates with Italian pasta, chicken Alfredo, succotash, farmers meatloaf with brown gravy, chocolate brownies and peach crisp. Each dish was prepared from a recipe created by GRHealth Food and Nutrition Services Executive Chef David Moulton.

The dishes were common entries on about 250 inpatient surveys distributed throughout CHOG to elicit suggestions for new, kid-friendly menu selections.

“We’ll have just a kid-friendly menu and an adult menu because the things you might like to eat, the adults don’t,” said Tiffany Williams, GRHealth Food and Nutrition Patient Services Manager.

The taste testing was organized by CHOG’s Kids Architectural and Recreational Team, or KidsART, and is conducted annually.

By partnering with patients and staff, KidsART ensures CHOG supplies a child- and family-friendly atmosphere. Its members assist in environmental designs and offer suggestions relating to children’s areas and what food the hospital serves, according to Child Life Specialist and KidsART Coordinator Heather Hardeman.

“They’re (the children taste testers) all patients here for one reason or another. They know what foods they like while they’re here. They’re kids so you get the kid’s perspective. It looks like the brownies are a big hit. I don’t know a kid who doesn’t like brownies,” Hardeman said.

The children were asked to write down their feedback on each dish, and their suggestions will help Food and Nutrition Services determine which dishes were most well-received.

The new menu is expected to roll out in March or April.