Hospice Chef Reveals the Most Requested Last Meal by Patients

Food is a powerfully emotive medium”
“Food at the end of life is as much about adapting as it is about cooking,” Richards explains. “Patients often lose the ability to swallow or taste buds change due to medicines and treatment such as chemotherapy. Many in the hospice become sensitive to salt, so we moderate that. And we find that often people with cancer get a sweet tooth.” Due to many patients’ difficulties with chewing and altered senses of taste, he takes inspiration from French desserts like panna cotta, crème brûlée, and crème caramel. And if all a patient could tolerate is ice cream or jelly, he presents the dish with care.

“We don’t always know at the time what it means,” he says. “But we hear back later. Families come back months afterward, just to say thank you.” For example, a family who had lost a loved one during the year returned on Christmas Day with food for the staff to show their appreciation. Moments like these remind Richards of the significance of his work. “At this stage in my career, I want to give back,” says the hospice chef. “Food is a powerfully emotive medium. It can summon childhood memories and create new lasting ones. That’s what we do here.”