“Of course, people look at you a little funny when you tell them you are going to the hospital for lunch,” said Paula Burns, a (dance)studio manager. Ms. Burns is a loyal (patron), largely because of the hospital’s farm-to-table cuisine. “The idea they use produce that’s very fresh and prepared in a healthy way and is (affordable) is appealing,” she said.

The hospital receives deliveries from five local farms, but cooking what comes in is sometimes challenging, even to the most (seasoned) chef. Mr. Gold has figured out ways to prepare (nontraditional) vegetables: roasting eight-ball (squash), sautéing dinosaur kale, ramps and fiddleheads. A bumper crop of butternut squash gave rise to the cafe’s popular squash risotto with local corn, sage and honey. An unexpected delivery of tulsi basil, long used in India for its healing properties, yielded herbal tea.