Narrator: These chefs are preparing 15,000 meals
for the University Hospital of Lyon in France.
On a normal day, the kitchen uses 1 ½ tons of meat
and 2 ½ tons of vegetables
and bakes nearly 13,000 loaves of bread.
Behind this grand operation
is the director of catering, Jean-Rémy Dumont,
who believes in maintaining the art of cooking
for the patients.
Narrator: We visited the hospital's kitchen
to see how chefs prepare these meals in such big batches.
The day begins at 6 a.m.
when Patrick Girardeau, the kitchen manager,
oversees the off-loading of fresh ingredients.
Narrator: Today, the kitchen is making quiche, roast beef,
meatballs with gravy and mashed potatoes,
penne pasta with vegetables,
spinach and pumpkin dumplings,
and chocolate ganache tortes.
Narrator: The kitchen cooks a majority of its hot food
in these 260-liter pots,
which can hold 3,000 servings at a time.
Narrator: The kitchen follows a local-sourcing program
for fruits and vegetables,
so 20% of the produce is local and organic.
All of the meals are carefully designed
by dietitians and physicians
so that every patient gets the most nutritious meal
they can possibly have.
Narrator: Overall, the hospital has developed
24 distinct dietary profiles
that it matches up with patients.
Narrator: On the other side of the kitchen,
Samantha Laurent, the bakery manager,
is making 13,000 loaves with her team of bakers.
Narrator: One of the benefits of having an on-site bakery
is that the hospital can control all of the ingredients
and make custom loaves, like pain de mie,
a crustless bread that's easy to chew.
Narrator: When all of the meals are ready,
they're portioned, wrapped,
and rapidly cooled to extend their shelf life.
Narrator: The cooled meals are then sent
to four different areas of the hospital,
like the maternity ward at Femme-Mère-Enfant,
located in Bron, a suburb of Lyon.
Before the meals are served,
they're slowly reheated in this meal cart for 45 minutes.
But the work doesn't stop there.
One of the hospital's primary goals
is making mealtime a pleasant experience.
Since 2016, kitchen and hospital staff
have been trained in "meal attitude,"
a hospitality training by the Paul Bocuse Institute
that focuses on making quality food
and creating a pleasurable
and relaxing experience during mealtime.