If you think you’ve got critics in the kitchen, can you imagine having top experts in food safety and nutrition coming over for lunch? That’s who might just walk in to sample the menu at Market 16, the newly opened cafe on the main Atlanta campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Oh, they were very interested in what I had to say about the importance of food safety during my interview,” said Yolanda Chatman, executive chef of Market 16. “You’ve got people’s life in your hands.”
Providing nutritious and delicious options to help CDC employees live a long and healthy life is the core mission of the dining facility, overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and operated by Unidine, a food-service management company.
On the day I visited, the options included broccoli and cauliflower soup and honey mustard pork loin with roasted vegetables and scalloped potatoes. “We make scalloped potatoes with skim milk, and all of our soups are homemade so there’s less salt but people don’t miss it,” said Chatman.
Entrees provide fewer than 600 calories. Sweet potato wedges are baked, not fried. The salad bar includes roasted Brussels sprouts and curried cauliflower.
“You can’t force people to eat healthy but you can encourage them to try new things,” said Peter Glakas, Unidine Dining Services director for Market 16. “This month we’re serving buckwheat soba noodles.”
More Than the Menu
The beverage selection is devoid of soft drinks, but chairs in the dining room are made from recycled cola bottles. Thirsty? The ‘hydration station’ water coolers offer a variety of spa-like flavors including fresh cucumber basil and pineapple sage.
“Oh I can get you to drink water, even if you don’t like to drink water,” said Chatman, whose enthusiasm shines as brightly as the reclaimed wood floors.
A weekly farmers’ market is planned, and Tina Lankford, director of worklife wellness at the CDC, says health benefits go beyond the plate, “There’s a street-level appeal for employees to mix and mingle at community tables. It’s a chance to rub elbows and put ranks aside. Human connections boost health, too.” Of course, it’s the fresh-from-scratch recipes that will tempt folks back to the table. How about sampling the butternut and Granny Smith apple soup?
“It’s exciting to have another option of tasty healthy foods,” said Lauren Green, CDC Nutrition Program Coordinator.
About the Author
