Mount Nittany Medical Center's culinary services team produces meals that defy the stereotypical hospital food experience. In fact, almost all of our top-quality meals are made from scratch, served on china and delivered to patients on an award-winning tray service.

With close to one million meals served at Mount Nittany Medical Center every year, our staff serves more meals — everything from purees to sirloins — than any restaurant in town. From thickened water for patients working on swallowing exercises to ice sculptures from the in-house catering team, culinary services truly does it all and does it well.

Our patients consistently rank our performance in the 99th percentile across the board in quarterly reports from independent, nonprofit customer satisfaction surveyor Press Ganey. Against our local peers, similar-sized hospitals across the country and all hospitals nationally, both our food and customer service set the standard. In short, we provide a level of patient food service you won't find anywhere else.

In the interest of maintaining this high level of service, please fill out the short survey you receive after being discharged from the Medical Center. We care about what you think and want to make every effort to continually improve our work.

Whether it's in your room or in our cafeteria, the food you eat while at Mount Nittany Medical Center is created with attention to nutritional and culinary detail.

We provide three meal services a day for inpatients, visitors and staff at Mount Nittany Medical Center. With this responsibility, we've made a commitment to providing meals that are fresh, healthy, delicious and beautifully presented.

While many hospitals sacrifice quality for cost and buy overprocessed products, Mount Nittany Medical Center has made a commitment to preparing fresh meals. About 90 percent of our meals are made from scratch, and that includes choices that will satisfy any palate — everything from comfort foods like meatloaf and stews to gourmet soups and salads.

All of our produce is certified organic, and in the future, we plan to offer even fresher ingredients by growing them right on-site with a certified organic garden. Fresh food tastes the best, and cooking with organic products is especially important to us because our patients often have compromised immune systems.

Inpatients enjoy meal choices customized to their health requirements. Each patient receives a menu with options that reflect his or her dietary needs, whether that's gluten free, vegetarian, low sodium or any other specific meal plan.

We believe that the high quality of our food should be complemented by high-quality presentation, and sophistication doesn't need to be sacrificed for functionality.

In pursuit of that goal, we designed a tray service for our inpatients that defies the status quo. Each inpatient meal is served on a distinctive display tray, complete with china and stainless steel pitchers. From providing a full pitcher of coffee or hot water for tea instead of just one small cup to making sure a full inventory of condiments is printed on your menu so you get exactly what you want, we delve into the details of superior service.

A healthy environment

We also care about the health of the environment, which is why we've made the switch to using biodegradable Greenware® in the Medical Center Café. These cups, lids and containers are made from plants that can be replenished naturally within a year instead of petroleum-based plastics.

In addition to expanding our recycling effort (currently in place in the Café), we hope to start a composting effort soon. Additionally, our menus are printed on 100 percent recycled paper.

For hospital employees, visitors and anyone spending their meal hour at the Medical Center, you can enjoy a full meal at Mount Nittany Health.

Café

The Medical Center Café, located on the ground floor, is open daily, from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

• Hot breakfast: 7:00 am

• Lunch/dinner: 10:30 am

• Employee night shift meal: 2:30 am–4:15 am

The Café offers hot entrees, seasonal soups, a deli counter and a fresh salad bar, as well as an assortment of fruits, breakfast items, hot sandwiches, pizza, snacks and beverages. We also have ice cream novelties, sugar-free and lactose-free ice cream, freshly baked cookies, gourmet desserts and cakes and gluten-free offerings.

While we believe that the opinion that matters most comes from words of praise from the guests and patients who eat our meals every day, we've also been formally honored for the quality of our meals and service.

PEAK Award

The leadership of Mount Nittany Medical Center awarded nutrition & culinary services with the PEAK Award (Promoting Excellence, Achievement and Knowledge):

Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction – Meal Selection

• 99th percentile Large Press Ganey Database

• 99th percentile 150-299 Bed Group

• 99th percentile AHA Region 2

H-CAHPS

• Above Achievement Threshold for all Patient Experience Domains

Press Ganey patient satisfaction reports, top rankings

We regularly achieve top rankings from our patients, as reported by Press Ganey, an independent, nonprofit customer satisfaction surveyor. All departments of Mount Nittany Medical Center receive these reports to facilitate superior patient care.

Since 2006, almost all of our quarterly reports have placed our department in the 93rd percentile or higher in every category: against regional competitors, against similar-sized hospitals and against all other Press Ganey-rated institutions.

Foodservice Magazine: first place, On-site Foodservice

In the February issue of Foodservice Magazine, Mount Nittany Medical Center received first place in the On-site Foodservice category. The judges said they were "blown away by the (Mount Nittany Medical Center) team's creativity and willingness to step outside the box."

The trays were designed by Chef Gary Glenn and are complemented by sophisticated touches, like china and cast-iron cocottes.

 Your opinion matters

Please help our team continue to meet and exceed our patients' needs and desires by filling out the brief comment card you receive after leaving our care.