Photo: LLUH
Following a two-year renovation and expansion, the Riverside
Convention Center in California will reopen with brand new healthy menu options
developed in consultation with Loma Linda University Health (LLUH).
Officials of LLUH and
Raincross Hospitality Corporation, the managers of the convention center, have
entered into an agreement in which LLUH develops menu items with a focus on
seasonal specialties and healthful ingredients, consistent with LLUH standards
of excellence and nutrition. The specialized menu will compliment an exciting
menu created by the center’s new executive chef, Brad Martin.
LLUH nutritional experts
will also work closely with the convention center’s culinary staff to supervise
their knowledge and techniques for proper preparation of vegan and vegetarian
meals recommended for inclusion on the menu. “We’re privileged to share our
experience with vegetarian cuisine and our message of healthy living to the
250,000 guests of Riverside Convention Center each year,” said LLUH Chief
Wholeness Officer Daniel Fontoura.
Apart from developing the
menu and staff training, LLUH will be involved in other aspects of food service
at the convention center, including conducting a nutritional assessment of all
food items on the menu, and having LLU students in nutrition and dietetics
programs take part in internship opportunities. “We are enormously pleased to
have this unique opportunity to cooperate with such a well-respected organization
as LLUH to promote important principles of nutrition, while providing our
valued guests with the best opportunities for healthful eating,” said Ted
Weggeland, president of Raincross Hospitality Corporation. “The Riverside
Convention Center is committed to representing the promise of healthy living in
a socially responsible community.”
LLUH is known widely for
its pioneering work on nutrition and its impact on health. The LLU School of
Public Health is home to the Adventist Health Studies, an ongoing study funded
by the National Institutes of Health, which looks at how nutrition is linked to
health and longevity; and a number of other nutrition-related studies.
Riverside Convention Center is one of the leading convention
and events centers in the Inland Empire. It recently completed a $43-million
renovation and expansion, and will re-open on March 1.
