Sunday, June 15, 2025
Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hosted Academy Charter School seniors from the Uniondale academy for a hands-on event that had the students to exploring the hospital’s Food and Nutrition Services department through a sensory tasting and a cooking competition styled after a popular television show format as part of the MedVoyage program.
The LIJ program, developed in collaboration with the Center for Learning Innovation, began at the Valley Stream hospital in December. It provides students with monthly immersive experiences in various hospital departments. Past sessions have included imaging, respiratory and perioperative services. The goal is to expose students to a range of healthcare careers and give them a clearer idea of their future professional paths.
“They’re prepared for the future, which is something that the school has done an amazing job in investing in them,” Tatiana Rodriguez, project manager at LIJ Valley Stream, said at the May 29 event. “Then us doing the part where we’re showing them the different modalities and different careers that you can have in a hospital, coupling those together, really, really, I feel like will solidify what they want to do in the future.”
During each visit, students spend about two and a half hours at the hospital. While most are on a healthcare track, many are already certified in areas such as phlebotomy, electrocardiogram and medical assisting, that Thursday’s session was a departure from the clinical focus. Instead, students explored the role of food and nutrition within a hospital setting.
Students are able to explore different roles within the hospital beyond the usual clinical settings. By connecting their classroom knowledge and certifications with real-world activities, they got a clearer picture of how teamwork plays a vital role throughout healthcare, including areas like food services.
Director of Food and Nutrition Services Joe Dobias, who has appeared as a contestant on the “Chopped” a reality TV show, organized the event. He designed the activity to be interactive and team-driven, introducing the students to the kind of collaboration and sensory awareness required in a hospital kitchen.
“I basically wanted to just bring them in and show them, kind of, a condensed form of what we do in a day, without boring them to death,” Dobias said. “Because a lot of times when you come to the hospital, it’s like lectures and slides and all that kind of stuff. And I think that just kind of throwing them into the mix and showing them how we interact on a daily basis.
There are tons of communication going on all the time. People need to rely on each other a lot in teamwork,” he added. “So, I think that’s kind of why we came up with this little exercise today to pair everybody up and also challenge all their senses.”
Students then participated in a cooking challenge. Working in teams, they were tasked with creating a single plate using a selection of surprise ingredients: grilled chicken, raw diced chicken, cherry tomatoes, avocados, chickpeas, and Ritz crackers. Teams had five minutes to plan their dishes before beginning to cook and plate their meals.
Dishes included creations such as deconstructed bowls with teriyaki chicken, chickpeas, guacamole and seasoned vegetables, as well as a breakfast-inspired plate with French toast, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers and avocado salad. Students aimed to balance flavor, presentation and nutritional value, often discussing how the dish could resemble the way a patient is treated — with care and teamwork.
Culinary staff judged each team’s creation based on taste and execution. After tasting and scoring, awards were presented to the top teams, and the event concluded with lunch and recognition of the students’ efforts.
“This opportunity, it taught me teamwork,” said student Jadel Pecco, who will be pursuing her associate degree at Nassau Community College in the fall. “Because especially even when you’re in a hospital, it’s a lot of teamwork. You guys have to make sure that everybody’s on the same page. So, we kind of treated the dish like a patient, to make sure that everything came together and was solidified.
