Richmond Hospital debuts eight Chinese-inspired dishes on Planetary Health Menu

Richmond Hospital has launched eight new Chinese-inspired dishes through its Planetary Health Menu project, bringing culturally familiar comfort to patients while reducing the hospital's carbon footprint.

Local chefs William Lew and Sharon Chan, who specialize in Chinese cuisine and have long championed sustainable food systems, designed the menu with Richmond's demographics in mind — the city's population is approximately 50 per cent ethnically Chinese. Items include chicken and mushroom congee, Hainanese chicken and rice, dan dan noodles, Hong Kong-style Portuguese baked curry, braised e-fu noodles, mapo tofu, Chinese egg and tomato stir fry, and braised eggplant claypot.

Vancouver Coastal Health partnered with Lew and Chan on the initiative. "This has been one of the most meaningful, powerful projects of our career," Lew said. "It's recognized and we are lucky enough collectively to do food that is to the cultural like mentality and the cultural healing of the Chinese cuisine."

Patients have reported that the food transported them back home — a response that deeply rewards the chefs. "During meal times, patients hopefully can feel like they are not in a hospital, lonely or in pain, but healing through that first bite," Chan said. "The best way to take care of people is through showing your love through food, especially when someone's sick."

On the environmental side, recipes emphasize plant-based and carbon-footprint reduction. The chefs use vegetable-based proteins — including tofu crumble as a substitute for pork and other animal meats. "It is really exciting to know that people are enjoying it the same way, and the reality is, you can't tell the difference and it's awesome," Lew said.

Liena Pow, regional manager of strategic projects for food services with Vancouver Coastal Health, said the initiative ensures patients get the nutrients they need while lowering the carbon footprint of the dishes served. "Food is the single strongest lever when it comes to improving human health and planetary health," Pow said. Patients had told VCH they want "comfort and familiarity in their meals," and the authority wanted to help them "see a bit of home on their meal tray."

"For someone who's in hospital, food is one of the few moments in someone's day that might feel comforting or normal," Pow explained. "To create those dishes that are comforting, that are nourishing, and that patients will actually eat means we're also hoping to reduce food waste and make sure those nutrients are going to those patients."

Recipes from this initiative will be used at all of Vancouver Coastal Health's sites and expand the cultural diversity of menus at the health authority's facilities.