Step Into Our New Kitchen

Imagine a major kitchen renovation . Maybe you’ve experienced one yourself, or maybe you’ve seen one unfold on TV . We’re talking everything being ripped out and replaced, from electrical and flooring to cabinets, appliances and more .

Now imagine that while this renovation is going on, somehow, some way, you still have to prepare and serve three hot, nutritious meals each and every day . For close to 50 people, many of whom have dietary restrictions of one kind or another .

That’s what Haxtun Health Dietary Director Andrea Wilcox and her team of four cooks and five dishwashers/ servers just accomplished from March through July .

With our renovated kitchen and new equipment, we can better serve our residents, hospital patients, staff and community. Left to right: Ken Tryboski, Dennis Berg and Andrea Wilcox So Julia came to one of our group meetings and asked if the hospital could set up here for a while . We were glad to help them out .”

“It was a really huge project—one I’d never done before,” said Wilcox, who’s worked as a chef all over the world, from Ireland and Poland to Grand Junction . “Usually when you renovate a restaurant, you shut down for a while . But here we couldn’t do that .” “We’re a pretty tight-knit community, and the firehouse is extremely blessed with a fantastic kitchen with really high-end equipment,” said Wilcox . “It really paid off for us . We’re so grateful to the fire department for letting us set up camp there .”

Firefighters to the Rescue

Every day of the year, Wilcox is responsible for feeding breakfast, lunch and dinner to 20 to 25 residents in Haxtun Health’s Extended Care wing, eight or so hospital patients, and 20 staff members, give or take . Her department also does the catering for health system events, such as refreshments for large meetings and golf tournament fare .

Back and Forth

For several months, Wilcox and lead cook Shawn McGee cooked in the fire hall and shuttled catering trays of food over to the hospital . Wilcox started her career in the catering business, so she was used to transporting prepared food . But storing all the ingredients and serving meals in a temporary location—those were trickier . Meals were served in the hospital sunroom, and food was served from old-school catering warmers .

So when it became clear that the old, outdated kitchen would need a complete overhaul, the Haxtun Health leadership team started brainstorming interim solutions . Julia Beisemeier, Chief Community Relations Officer, reached out to Ron Carpenter, the Haxtun Volunteer Fire Department’s Chief. After all, the fire station is just down the street . And it has a nice commercial kitchen—one of the few in town, in fact . Maybe they’d allow Wilcox’s team to cook there for a few months?

The New Kitchen Reveal

The new Haxtun Health kitchen is now up and running . It’s got all-new infrastructure, new stainless-steel wall cladding, a new range with double ovens, a combi oven and more . Wilcox is especially excited to have a steamer, which will enable her team to prepare fresh vegetables in a manner that better retains their nutrients .

“The new kitchen will make our jobs more efficient and the food options better,” she said . “I’ll be able to do bigger catering events, and we’ll be able to expand our menu selections to include more variety .”