NEEDHAM, Mass. — A team of four Wingate Healthcare chefs won the Chef’s Choice Award at the Massachusetts Health Council’s 2018 “Best of the Best” Culinary Competition. Part of the MHC annual awards gala, the competition is designed to defy stereotypes of bland, tasteless food in health care settings by showcasing the culinary talents of chefs from some of the best hospitals and health care institutions in Massachusetts. The Wingate Healthcare team competed alongside eight other teams, including Atria Senior Living, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, The Northbridge Companies, Signature Healthcare Brockton, Steward Health Care and Unidine Corporation.

Wingate Healthcare’s culinary team included:

• Theresa Cinq-Mars, executive chef at One Wingate Way
• San San “Sunny” Lam, executive chef at Wingate Residences at Needham
• Vincent Messina, executive director at Wingate Residences on the East Side
• Paul Souza, executive director at Wingate Residences at Silver Lake

“Wingate has a great group of talented food service directors and chefs,” said Messina. “It really shows when they’re put to the test in a competition like this.”

The competition was judged by four culinary, hospitality and health care experts, including Steve DiFillippo of Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse; Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University; Jim Carmody, general manager of the Seaport Hotel; and Chris Spinazzola of Clappazzola Partners.

Wingate’s signature dish was pan-seared sea bass over heirloom tomato salsa. “Everyone who tried it complimented the entire sample, from the taste of the tomato salsa to the perfectly-cooked, delicate sea bass with just the right seared finish,” Messina said.

ABOUT WINGATE HEALTHCARE (WWW.WINGATEHEALTHCARE.COM)

Wingate Healthcare is the Northeast’s premier provider of health care and hospitality for seniors, and delivers exceptional short-term rehab, post-acute care and long-term care in skilled nursing centers and assisted and independent living communities throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. With select centers offering special programs in memory and dementia care, ventilator care, pulmonary rehabilitation and more, Wingate is dedicated to meeting the critical needs and enhancing the lives of residents and their families. Wingate takes great pride in providing warm and welcoming communities, and shares principles of respect, loyalty and trust.