Cura Hospitality’s Guest Chef Program is elevating the dining experience across Allegheny Health Network (AHN) hospitals with chef‑crafted menus and engaging culinary events.
Designed to enhance engagement, increase café participation, and bring fresh and healthier creativity to hospital dining, the program highlights top culinary talent from across the AHN system who prepare and serve foods from this unique action station directly inside hospital cafés.
AHN Allegheny Valley Hospital recently hosted its Guest Chef event on Wednesday, March 11, featuring a fun surprise visit from the Pirate Parrot to help kick off excitement for baseball season. Over lunchtime, guests enjoyed a three‑course, chef‑crafted meal made with locally sourced ingredients — including foraged mushrooms, asparagus, and potatoes — prepared by Chefs Zach Barensfeld (AHN Allegheny General) and John Phelan (AHN Forbes).
The highlight of the menu was a beautifully seared rainbow trout — a hometown favorite, and the perfect warmup for April’s trout season opener. It is a dish any local angler can appreciate.
FULL MENU:
- Passed Appetizers: Bacon Jam Crostini | Rosemary Goat Cheese | Caramelized Onions | Balsamic Glaze
- Entree: Seared Rainbow Trout | Spring Onion Potato Puree | Asparagus | Locally Foraged Mushrooms | Herb Oil | Pomegranate Reduction
- Dessert: Raspberry Lemon Curd | Homemade Shortbread cookies
The 2026 Guest Chef season kicked off at AHN Wexford Hospital with an event led by 2024 Cura Chef of the Year Booker Betts of AHN Forbes Hospital, who prepared a premium chef-crafted plate featuring hand-stuffed chicken breast topped with red pepper coulis, seared bay scallops in beurre blanc accompanied by fried risotto cakes and seared asparagus for café guests.
From there, this systemwide culinary showcase moved to AHN Forbes Hospital on January 28, where Cura Chef Justin Fritz of AHN Canonsburg and Jefferson Hospitals delighted café guests with his crowd-pleasing‑ smoked gouda lobster mac and cheese and hand-fried beignets. On February 11, Cura Executive Chef Charles Wise of AHN Saint Vincent also brought his winter inspired menu of blood orange salad and scratch-made root vegetable pot pie to AHN West Penn Hospital.
The momentum of this highly anticipated culinary program continued at AHN Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), where a vibrant, Mexican‑inspired experience was led by Andrew Castillo, Cura Executive Chef at AHN Wexford Hospital and Dorian Settles, Cura Sous Chef at AHN Allegheny General Hospital. Guests enjoyed a flavorful menu featuring pork pozole, hand‑rolled taquitos, arroz con leche (scratch‑made rice pudding), and refreshing pineapple and watermelon Agua fresca. The event sold 156 plates, driving strong participation and enthusiastic feedback from guests.
Across AHN’s hospitals, Cura continues to deliver fresh flavors, strong engagement, and meaningful business impact. “We not only enhance patient care but also create unique culinary moments in our cafés that offer guests and staff more than a brief respite—providing a welcoming place to enjoy uplifting meals, special events, and a true sense of community,” says Cura Vice President Brian Marsh, who oversees the network’s dining at AHN.
