NEWS

Genesis cafe adds BBQ station with popular mac & cheese

Eric Lagatta
Reporter

ZANESVILLE - Bryan Davis stands over the five-gallon vat, using a large metal mixer to stir the hot liquid as Tammy Davis sprinkles in the five cheeses.

Bryan Harris and Tammy Davis make the cheese for Genesis Hospital's Garden Cafe's Five-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese.

It's part of a creamy cheese mixture that will be added to cooked macaroni and used in roughly 280 servings a day of the dish at the newest addition to Genesis Hospital's Garden Cafe.

Although advertised as a side dish, the macaroni and cheese is among the most popular offerings at the cafe, which features a variety of food stations — the newest of which is BBQ Nation, which has been open for two weeks at the cafe.

"BBQ Nation has really taken off," said Kevin Cook, the executive chef at the Cafe.

​As with most of the stations at the cafe, the homemade menu changes daily. There's a barbecue brisket on Monday, a bourbon glazed turkey breast on Tuesday, barbecue ribs on Wednesday, a rotisserie chicken on Thursday and a barbecue pit ham on Friday. The weekend menu features a cinnamon-roasted pork loin and home-style pot roast.

Customers can add their choice of a variety of regional barbecue sauces. And while the side dishes like potatoes and coleslaw also variate, the one mainstay is the mac and cheese.

Kevin Cook, the executive chef at Genesis Hospital's Garden Cafe carves a brisket for the Cafe's Bar-b-que Nation section.

To make the cheese, the cooks begin by making the roux, a butter and flour-based thickening agent. They next add water and heavy cream. Once that is cooked in, Davis adds the five cheeses used in the mixture: Parmesan, Swiss, mozzarella, cheddar and American, the latter of which gives the dish its color.

Finally, Davis sprinkles in salt, pepper, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce.

The five-gallon mixture will later be combined with the macaroni, and the cooks will add a crust on top, Cook said.

"I just think it's a comfort food," Cook said. "It's very, very rich."

Located on Maple Avenue, the Garden Cafe opened six months ago when Good Samaritan Hospital and Bethesda merged into Genesis in late June. It's part of a management partnership with vendor Sodexo.

Although it's primarily frequented by patients and employees at the hospital, the cafe is open to the public via an entrance on the north side of the building, said Maurine Maneely, the manager of food and nutrition. "There has been excitement around it. The employees and visitors have been excited by the dishes," Maneely said. "People enjoy the variety."

And while BBQ Nation is the latest addition to the cafe, there are a variety of other options available, as well.

The stations include a Boar's Head Deli, where you can make your own sandwich; a world station, which features a rotating menu of Shrimp Rockefeller, stir fry and chicken fajitas; a grill station with hot dogs, hamburgers and fries; a wood-fired pizza station; a dessert station and a salad and soup station.

The dishes are homemade and often cooked in front of customers, Maneely said.

"Making things from scratch is very important to us," Maneely added.

elagatta@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

740-450-6753

Twitter: @EricLagatta

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The Times Recorder will feature a local eatery and what fare makes it unique each week. If you have a suggestion or are a restaurant owner who would like to be featured, let us know at trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com.

If you go

What: Garden Cafe at Genesis Hospital

When: Open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Where: Genesis Hospital, 2951 Maple Ave.

Phone: 740-454-4000