Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 2, 2020

KH . ORG 5 By Andrea Nagel After nearly three years of planning and 10 months of construction, the new Kootenai Café is officially open. The café features a large selection of new cuisine and old favorites in a contemporary setting. Visitors and staff can explore new options such as fresh mixed salads and sandwiches, brick oven pizza, world-tour global cuisine, classic comfort food, and an expanded grab-and-go section. “Some of our goals at the time included bringing more visibility into the serving area, helping the flow of customers and increasing accessibility, and having more customizable menu options for people,” said Annie Anderson, program manager of Kootenai’s Planning and Property Management. Cooking Up Joy “The greatest thing about this project is it is the first project in my seven years of construction that affects everyone. It is the first project that benefits not only every single employee, but every visitor and patient. That’s really cool to think about. Everyone will get to feel the benefit of this, and in a way it is uniting to people. Sometimes I like to just sit and watch people come in and listen to their excitement and comments and watch their smiles. If the new café can bring smiles to people’s faces or a little joy in their day—what a blessing. I’m so grateful I got to be a part of it.” —Annie Anderson What’s on the menu? Kootenai Café has a variety of options, including a robust salad bar, sandwiches, brick oven pizza, global cuisine, classic comfort food, and frozen yogurt. Breakfast, lunch and dinner options rotate daily. For hours of operation and more, visit KH.org/restaurants/ kootenai-health-cafe . WORTH “We’re hoping to capture the new generational influences in serving and eating preferences.” Theheart of thehospital Centrally located, Kootenai Café helps make up the heart of the hospital. It’s where people go to not only eat, but visit with family members and patients, have meetings with co- workers, and take a break during the day. Despite the café’s current clean, organized appearance enjoyed by visitors, the road to opening day had its bumps and fair share of dust. “Running major construction up against an area where food was still actively being prepared and not impeding the staff’s work was a big challenge for us,” Annie said. “The former café was 30 years old. We were uncovering years of use in the space and bringing it all up to current code and standards, all while continuing to operate the kitchen. The planning of it all was a very delicate dance.” The café’s modern, sleek design pairs high-end cooking technology with an open and inviting atmosphere and, of course, delicious, made- to-order food. Needless to say, Kootenai Health’s staff and visitors are excited about the new space and food options. Kootenai Café brings the perfect mix of healthy food and fun the WAIT