Forty students from Uniondale’s Academy Charter School returned to Long Island Jewish Valley Stream for another installment of the MedVoyage program, taking part in a hands-on cooking competition inside the hospital’s Food and Nutrition Services department.
The program, now in its third year and led by Northwell Health’s Center for Learning and Innovation, has expanded to partner with Academy Charter School, Mineola High School and Bethpage High School. Brian Aquart, Northwell’s vice president of workforce community education, said the goal is to grow MedVoyage to 10 schools by 2030.
“The big vision for me is, I think every hospital should have some type of connection with the high schools closest to them,” Aquart said at the April 16 cooking competition. “Students can see what is happening in their community and knowing what is happening in healthcare overall.”
The charter school first partnered with Northwell Health two years ago, providing students with hands-on exposure to the healthcare system and possible careers through the Center for Learning and Innovation.
This year marked the first time culinary students joined the program, expanding its focus beyond traditional medical tracks. Students were also encouraged to consider careers in healthcare.
“I always loved cooking,” Chase Bermedez-Suslie, a culinary student, said while on the clock, preparing for the competition. “It’s always been in my spirit to cook and give to others.”
“The program goes over different disciplines, and with food, I don’t think people know how it impacts patients,” Aquart said.
Patients experiencing different medical conditions require a different meal. A cancer patient cannot eat the same meal as a diabetic, and the menu and ingredients change depending on the person.
“One thing about the food and nutrition department here is that they provide high-quality food,” Tatiana Rodriguez, LIJ Valley Stream’s project manager, said. “I think it’s amazing to look at patient experience in a different way.
“It’s really changed my aspect on hospital food or what it looks like,” she added. “It’s amazing to know that this hospital is one of the top when it comes to its kitchen.”
Joe Dobias, the hospital’s director of Food and Nutrition Services and a “Chopped” 2009 champion, organized and judged the April 16 competition, introducing students to the dishes the hospital offers, and preparing the same meals patients eat on Thursdays — southwestern tacos.
Dobias, a celebrity chef, culinary educator, restaurateur and author, is one of the few chefs who didn’t attend culinary school. Instead, he’s a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.
“I have been in the restaurant business a very long time, where I didn’t feel like I was making a really big impact,” Dobias said. “Everything I did was because someone was paying for it — it became very transactional and lost a bit of love for it.”
He joined the healthcare industry seven years ago, beginning with Northwell. He expressed that it’s the most rewarding position he’s ever held.
“I wish they had this type of program when I was in high school,” Dobias said. “To introduce you to the world of hospital food — I thought I would work in a hospital and the way how we approach food here is scratch-base cooking.”
Students were divided into eight teams and given a surprise set of ingredients, including shrimp, chicken, beef, vegetables, as well as pantry items and various spices to add flavoring. They focused on balancing flavor, presentation and nutrition — key elements in hospital food service.
“I want them to know there’s a lot of other things that have to happen in order for you to be a nurse or a doctor,” Dobias told the medical students. “I had a difficult time figuring that out myself because doctors and nurses are important — they save lives.
“But at some point, you start to recognize who’s moving the patient to the other room,” he added, “who is taking the person to the x-ray room, where does the food come from, the cafeteria, the kitchen. It’s an ecosystem.”
Initially, many students said they were too nervous to cook meals at the hospital, and that they’re surprised about the meals prepared there, but agreed that it’s equally important to patient health.
“I’m really excited to expand my horizon. That’s what we’re all doing,” Oliver Joseph, an academy senior, said about cooking new cuisine and doing it in a hospital setting.
Team “La Perle des Antilles” captured first place, impressing Dobias with its dish, presentation and teamwork throughout the challenge.
The team — made up of medical students Joseph, Abigail Chery, Nandie Fanrose and Anne Brice — all have ties to Haiti, either by origin or family, inspiring them to name their group after a nickname of Haiti. However, they said they were unfamiliar with some of the ingredients they used.
“It wasn’t weird, but it was at the time because I was not expecting to see these ingredients,” Brice, who served as the winning team’s sous chef, said. “When we came here, we had to think really quick, and Oliver had great ideas.”
The competition challenged students to step outside their comfort zones while working together — offering a glimpse into the collaboration and adaptability required in both culinary and healthcare settings.
