Produce is sourced from hundreds of individual farms across California.

The foodservice program at UC Davis Health serves some 6,500 meals a day across its retail, patient dining and catering operations.

Protein like chicken also come from local producers and a generally delivered fresh rather than frozen for both food quality and sustainability reasons as thawing can involve substantial water waste.

While he had to learn some of the nuances of healthcare foodservice, such as nutritional requirements for specialized diets, the volume requirements of a major facility like UC Davis Health didn’t phase Chef Diaz, who had already served as lead chef for Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium and as executive chef at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center arena

Serving stations in the retail cafes are resisting returning to self-serve in favor of counter staff service that is better able to control quality and reduce waste.