J.P. Krause, executive chef at Children’s Hospital Colorado, is courting Denver’s foodie-crazed restaurant industry.
Q: What events have you hosted that have caught the attention of restaurateurs in your city?
A: Not only have we done gluten-free and celiac training events for the local chefs, but also we hosted a monthly chapter meeting where we invited other hospitals and other restaurant chefs to come and learn about what we do for patient feeding. We lead through education. We take the time to educate the community, because if we educate the chefs at restaurants or schools or hospitals, we know we’re all on a mission to better the population’s health.
Q: How do you connect with restaurant chefs and operators beyond events?
A: Become a part of trade organizations outside of the hospital world. Showing our innovation in front of the other chefs in the community really goes a long way.
Q: Is there anything noncommercial operators do that gets in the way of recognition from the entire industry?
A: Don’t be afraid to show what you do. A lot of people feel like, “I do all of this hard work and I don’t want people copying.” If we can take our recipes and what we are learning here, and share it with everyone else, then that benefits everybody. When people notice you, they become really excited about your program and share that with the community.