Come to the State “Fare”
When: Tuesday, May 21, 2019 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Where: Hackensack Meridian Heath JFK Conference Center, 70 James Street, Edison NU
Learning and fun had by all at the November 15, 2018 Annual Education Seminar
Online registration is closed for the 2019 Installation Dinner
When: January 15, 2019 • 5:30 Tuesday
Where: Metuchen Inn • 424 Middlesex Ave • Metuchen, NJ 08840
On October 23, Pecinka Ferri hosted the second annual AHF-NJ Fall Culinary Competition! Five talented culinary teams 
competed from Saint Clare’s Denville Hospital, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Morristown Medial Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and JFK Medical Center. The teams had one and half-hours to complete both an entrée and a dessert to present to the three judges, Peter Fischbach, RickfordR. Foo, and Francesco Palmieli.
As an added challenge, they also had to incorporate a secret ingredient to their dishes. For the entrée, the secret ingredients were Malghese cheese and cranberries. For the dessert, they were asked to use chipotle sauce or seasoning to their dish.
The culinary teams did a fantastic job incorporating the ingredients and developed the following dishes:
St. Clare’s
Entrée: Stuffed chicken breast with roasted red pepper cheese, cranberry compote on a bed of risotto, which was made with Malghese cheese and scallions. It was accompanied by sautéed broccoli 
topped with cranberry brandy frisee.
Dessert: Chocolate trifle which incorporated chipotle chocolate mousse, candied bananas, fresh pinapple, cinnamon toasted apples and was topped with white chocolate mousse
St. Joseph’s
Entrée: Pan seared pork tenderloin with homemade butternut squash gnocchi, asparagus tips with a Malghesecheese sauce and apple brandy demi gloss with cranberries
Dessert: Vanilla bean panna cotta topped with espresso cream and grilled lemon strawberry chipotle compote
Morristown
Entrée: Pan roasted pork tenderloin on top of baby spinach and butternut squash and Malghese cheese puree and brown sugar cranberry compote with black pepper
Dessert: Gluten free hazelnut brown butter cake with chipotle ganache and crème glaze. Topped with spiced candied pepitas
Robert Wood Johnson
Entrée: Braised rabbit leg, Applewood smoked bacon wrapped tenderloin with cranberry glaze. Accompanied with five spice butternut squash puree with Malghesecheese, roast baby turnips and asparagus tips
Dessert: Pumpkin flan topped with biscotti cookie crumble, torched figs and chipotle infused sugar art
JFK Medical Center
Entrée: Roasted acorn squash stuffed with a sausage, shallot, roasted chestnuts, apple, cranberry stuffing with Malghese cheese
Dessert: Chipotle raspberry jam with beet root and cardamom custard with lemon whipped cream with crushed gingersnaps on top
First place was Morristown, second place was JFK Medical and third place was St. Joseph’s! Congratulations to all the contestants for creating some amazing dishes!
Thanks again to our judges and business partners that helped with the events. Especially Chef Nick and Pecinka Ferri for hosting the event and also Boar’s Head and RC Fine Foods for donating some great appetizers for the spectators!
We hope to see everyone on November 15 at our Annual Fall Conference, “Conquering the Workday”! Please visit our website https://ahfnj.com/category/events to register
NJ Chapter Grabs Top Honors At AHF National Conference In DC
The Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) held its eighth Annual Conference, last month, at The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland (outside of Washington, D.C.).
It was a highly successful confab for Tri-State delegations as the New Jersey chapter won top honors as the AHF national chapter of the year.
The Garden State chapter under the guidance of its president Gary Triolo has long been known in local and national circles for the quality and passion of its membership. “Tony Almeida of Robert Wood Johnson and Betty Perez really set the standard for our members early on,” noted Triolo. The foodservice executive was quick to credit board member Angela O’Neil of the Hunterdon Medical Center with championing the New Jersey chapter’s bid for the annual award.
“She did a great job of profiling our group’s dedication to giving back to the communities we serve.”
Highlighting AHF New Jersey’s annual calendar is the association’s annual full day Fall conference. The group makes an annual gift of the event’s fees to the Food Bank of New Jersey. Those donations have grown to as much as $5000 to feed the hungry in the Garden State. Prior to that program AHF-NY sponsored a toy drive so that young children in the state would enjoy a Merry Christmas. Under Triolo’s leadership, the group has continued its commitment to support the national association’s scholarship initiatives.
“I’m convinced that the work we do as a group reflects many of the characteristics of our responsibilities at our facilities,” Triolo continued. “We are part of the puzzle in which the patient and their family know that we are providing healthy, nutritious and tasty food to contribute to their caregiving and healing.”
In addition to accepting national honors, New Jersey’s healthcare foodservice professionals had busy agendas for their annual national conference. “Education, networking and monitoring are key components,” noted Triolo.
The conference featured a wide diversity of educational seminars from branding to salt free cooking as well as benchmarking and a moving piece on motivating employees with Colonel Joe Ricciardi, PhD. The army veteran spoke on how The Brave Lead with Love, and detailed his approach to leading a team of over 1000 Soldiers to Afghanistan.
“The modernization of our industry truly means Healthcare Foodservice Reimagined,” said Julie Jones, AHF President and Director of Nutrition Services at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “At this year’s conference, we were able to explore the abundance of new opportunities and innovative models for delivering delicious, healthy food options in our communities.”
Formed in 2009, the Association for Healthcare Foodservice is composed of food and nutrition professionals from facilities that are self-operated. AHF advances the foodservice and hospitality industry in all healthcare segments by enabling its operator members to grow through continuing education, networking opportunities, annual conference, and innovative equipment and service through our business partners. AHF advocates for and supports its members to create best practice, while connecting the leaders that advance the industry.
To learn more about the AHF, please visit their website.
