Mercy Medical Center chef aims to please patients, help fight food insecurity

CEDAR RAPIDS - Daniel Dennis's whole family has worked in health care. His dad was a longtime doctor at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids and his sister is a nurse.

So it made sense for him to one day work at Mercy, too.

But Dennis, 33, is caring for people in a different way - he's the hospital's new head chef.

'If you're in the hospital, a few good meals can give you something to look forward to,” he said.

Dennis has worked in a kitchen from as far back as when he was in high school. As a student at Kirkwood, Dennis said he was unsure of what to study or what to do with his life.

'I was getting married and the pastor asked what I was going to school for,” he recalled. 'I was taking classes in Native American history and philosophy, so I told him I was thinking about a culinary arts degree.”

To Dennis's surprise - as well as his wife, Sophia - the pastor announced during the wedding ceremony in front of their family and friends that he was enrolled in culinary classes with plans of being a chef.

That apparently was the push he needed. He enrolled in classes and hasn't really looked back. He's worked at several popular Cedar Rapids spots, including Zins, the Class Act Restaurant at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center and most recently Lion Bridge Brewing Company.

'I like to be creative and to use my hands,” he said. 'I love getting fresh ingredients - what's in season and figuring out what to do with it.”

That's one thing that drew him to Mercy - aside from more regular hours that allow him time to spend with his young daughters who are 4 and 6 years old.

The hospital has made a big push to purchase local produce, dairy and meats over the past several years - buying more than 46,500 pounds of local food in 2015, according to hospital data. The initiative was started by former head chef Andy Deutmeyer, and the produce is used in everything from the salad bar and deli counter to casseroles and soups.

He's also helping organize a July 30 event outside NewBo City Market that focuses on food insecurity. The 'Chopped”-style event will have six local chefs competing to make the best meal from a box of food items found at a food pantry.

The Eat Grow Share event - hosted by the Linn County Food Systems council - will feature chefs from Zins, Bata's Restaurant and Kirkwood as well as local food pantries, including Feed Iowa First, Horizons, A Family Service Alliance and HACAP.

'I want to pick up where (Deutmeyer) left off,” Dennis said. 'There's lots of good farmers, and a few I that I've worked with in the past, and I'm bringing them in.”

If you go

What: Eat Grow Share: Fighting Food Insecurity in Linn County

When: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, July 30

Where: NewBo Market, 1100 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids

For information: http://smgs.us/3k8q