Pesto Pasta

With Pete McGahey and David Gauvin

Forget everything you thought you knew about hospital food and learn how to make this delicious, healthy Pesto Pasta.
How do you make a perfect Pesto Pasta? Executive Chefs Dave Gauvin and Pete McGahey of the Addison Gilbert Hospital and Beverly Hospital, have firm beliefs on what matters most. Use only extra virgin olive oil; toast the pine nuts (or whatever nuts you choose to use) for extra flavor; and use fresh pasta, which you can make yourself or purchase at the store.
Another good tip – make the pesto as close to when you want to eat it as possible in order to preserve most of the flavor from the basil.Once you learn the basic recipe you will see how easy it is to create your own variations, such as using other ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts.Most people would eat healthier if the food tasted exceptional and they only knew how to make it. This recipe is part of the new trend in hospitals, where public Cafes have replaced cafeterias and the same professional cooks you find in good restaurants prepare the food. Foods such as this are designed to make you want to eat in the hospital's Cafe and at the same time avoid a longer stay.In addition to the improved restaurant food, the Hospital has  just begun a series of cooking shows on their Facebook page; facebook.com/BeverlyHospital. All of the shows are free and available to the public.

Chef David Gauvin has 16 years of culinary experience. He studied and trained at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. Chef Gauvin honed his skills in healthcare dining services during a 5-year tenure with Massachusetts General Hospital.

He serves as a board member of the oldest chef's organization in the country - the Epicurean Club of Boston, which is the local chapter of the American Culinary Federation. He is committed to staying current on local trends by competing in cooking competitions and attending educational conferences.  Chef Gavin also serves as a professor at the Cambridge School of Arts. Pete McGahey is the Executive Chef at Beverly Hospital. He has 20 years experience in the culinary field, focusing primarily in seafood. He has been a resident of Beverly for 3 years.  He is an active member of the Saugus/Everett Elks and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, an organization promoting sustainable fishing off of the coasts of New England and Canada.  He and his wife are expecting their first child.