LIHU‘E — Meatless Monday, featuring a vegetarian menu, starts tomorrow at the Wilcox Health Cafe, located on the ground floor of Wilcox Medical Center.
The initiative is in conjunction with the weeklong Healthier Happens Together Wilcox Health Employees Wellness Fair. Meatless Mondays is an effort to create a healthier Hawai‘i and increase the use of local produce.
“The quality of fresh Hawai‘i produce far surpasses imported produce,” said Robin Lotu, the director of food and nutrition at Wilcox Medical Center. “Local produce gets to your plate quicker than imported vegetables, which means it contains higher nutrient value.”
Meatless Mondays meals will feature locally grown produce sourced from across the state.
On Kaua‘i, Wilcox Health has partnered with Malama Kaua‘i to connect with farmers located in Moloa‘a on the North Shore, as well as those in the Lihu‘e area. Wilcox Health will also work with Sugarland Growers in Kunia, O‘ahu, and Aloun Farms in Kapolei, O‘ahu, for its source of tomatoes, zucchini, green bell peppers and cabbage.
“Fresh produce is sweet, crisp, crunchy and aromatic,” Lotu said. “You feel like you’re eating the rainbow.”
Hot entrees and the salad bar will be meatless every Meatless Monday. Beef, pork, chicken and fish will be absent from the menu. In its sted will be vegetarian options such as taro burgers, zucchini patties, vegetable pancit and Chinese chicken salad created using meatless chicken strips.
While the Wilcox Health Cafe will not be serving meat or meat-containing products on Meatless Mondays, foods produced by animals such as milk, eggs, cheese and honey will still be available.
The cafe will also have assorted grab-and-go items from local vendors who utilize locally sourced vegetables. These include kimchee wraps, quinoa and kale bowls, tofu and vegetable onigrazu, or musubi, and chickpea sandwiches.
Weekly menus and daily specials from Wilcox Health’s award-winning cooks are posted online at WilcoxHealth.org/Patient-Visitors/Wilcox-Health-Cafe.
The Wilcox Health Cafe offers a wide selection of healthful meals and snacks seven days a week. The public is invited to visit between 6:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays.
Visitors to the Kaua‘i Medical Center must wear medical face masks while inside the facility. Due to the dynamics of the COVID-19 and its variants, visitors can visit hawaiipacifichealth.org/coronavirus for the most current guidelines related to COVID-19 policies at Hawai‘i Pacific Health medical centers and clinics.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
