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The Healthy 15 - Parkhurst at Highmark Pittsburgh, Camp Hill and Delaware
FoodService Director Magazine

Published in Wellness Watch

Unlike many fads in foodservice, wellness is here to stay.

By Becky Schilling, Editor
Paul King, Editorial Director
Megan Warmouth, Associate Editor
Mallory Szczepanski, Digital Production Editor
Marygrace Taylor

Parkhurst Dining at Highmark, Pittsburgh, Camp Hill, Pa., and Delaware

Parkhurst Dining has put health and wellness at the forefront within the three corporate office locations of its client Highmark. During a 10-year period, Parkhurst has evolved the offerings at Highmark’s request, gradually implementing healthier options. “Gradual change was well received by our guests,” the company’s nomination states. “If our approach is too strong and too radical, employees feel like they are being forced to eat healthy and they will likely go somewhere else. If our approach is too soft or lacks commitment, the end result will be little or no change.”

Today, several initiatives focused on the overall health and well-being of Highmark employees combine to deliver fresh, flavorful options across all Highmark dining operations, including:

  • Through Walk the Talk, a Highmark corporate initiative started in 2014, only healthy snack options are available from vending operations. “Walk the Talk is all encompassing,” explains Lenny DeMartino, general manager with Parkhurst at Highmark Pittsburgh. “It’s not just foodservice, but it promotes employees’ lifestyles all the way through—so their exercise, their well-being at home and at work and so on, and one of these areas is eating better.” 
  • The Smart Pick program serves as “a guideline that we use when choosing recipes and items to serve for the day,” explains Cameron Clegg, executive chef with Parkhurst at Highmark Pittsburgh. At any Highmark location, customers know that Smart Pick labeled items will have no more than 375 calories, 500 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 30% of calories from fat.
  • By Design allows guests to take ownership of the ingredients in their meal. At a manned station, sushi, salads, pasta and soups are among the dishes that guests can create themselves. Informed Parkhurst employees guide guests through the build, offering healthful suggestions. Healthy options such as vegetables and lean proteins are brought to the forefront, while less healthy items such as full-fat dressings are moved to the back.

In addition, healthy ingredients are the basis for menu development, including incorporation of global flavors and seasonings. The Chef’s Table program (see March 2014 issue) brings preparation of healthy dishes in front of the customer through chef demonstrations and recipe sharing. Catering menus also have been revamped to include only items deemed to be healthy. 

In addition to employee education and training, marketing has played an important role in this new, healthy approach. Within the servery, easy-to-read nutrition signage guides healthy choices, healthy options are listed first on digital marketing boards and Healthy Interruption Points featuring nutritious snack options are strategically placed throughout the café to divert unhealthy impulse purchases. 



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The Healthy 15 - Parkhurst at Highmark Pittsburgh, Camp Hill and Delaware
FoodService Director Magazine

Published in Wellness Watch

Unlike many fads in foodservice, wellness is here to stay.

By Becky Schilling, Editor
Paul King, Editorial Director
Megan Warmouth, Associate Editor
Mallory Szczepanski, Digital Production Editor
Marygrace Taylor

Parkhurst Dining at Highmark, Pittsburgh, Camp Hill, Pa., and Delaware

Parkhurst Dining has put health and wellness at the forefront within the three corporate office locations of its client Highmark. During a 10-year period, Parkhurst has evolved the offerings at Highmark’s request, gradually implementing healthier options. “Gradual change was well received by our guests,” the company’s nomination states. “If our approach is too strong and too radical, employees feel like they are being forced to eat healthy and they will likely go somewhere else. If our approach is too soft or lacks commitment, the end result will be little or no change.”

Today, several initiatives focused on the overall health and well-being of Highmark employees combine to deliver fresh, flavorful options across all Highmark dining operations, including:

  • Through Walk the Talk, a Highmark corporate initiative started in 2014, only healthy snack options are available from vending operations. “Walk the Talk is all encompassing,” explains Lenny DeMartino, general manager with Parkhurst at Highmark Pittsburgh. “It’s not just foodservice, but it promotes employees’ lifestyles all the way through—so their exercise, their well-being at home and at work and so on, and one of these areas is eating better.” 
  • The Smart Pick program serves as “a guideline that we use when choosing recipes and items to serve for the day,” explains Cameron Clegg, executive chef with Parkhurst at Highmark Pittsburgh. At any Highmark location, customers know that Smart Pick labeled items will have no more than 375 calories, 500 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 30% of calories from fat.
  • By Design allows guests to take ownership of the ingredients in their meal. At a manned station, sushi, salads, pasta and soups are among the dishes that guests can create themselves. Informed Parkhurst employees guide guests through the build, offering healthful suggestions. Healthy options such as vegetables and lean proteins are brought to the forefront, while less healthy items such as full-fat dressings are moved to the back.

In addition, healthy ingredients are the basis for menu development, including incorporation of global flavors and seasonings. The Chef’s Table program (see March 2014 issue) brings preparation of healthy dishes in front of the customer through chef demonstrations and recipe sharing. Catering menus also have been revamped to include only items deemed to be healthy. 

In addition to employee education and training, marketing has played an important role in this new, healthy approach. Within the servery, easy-to-read nutrition signage guides healthy choices, healthy options are listed first on digital marketing boards and Healthy Interruption Points featuring nutritious snack options are strategically placed throughout the café to divert unhealthy impulse purchases. 



View original article