BCH Has Hired a Chef
Boone County Hospital (BCH) is excited to announce they have hired a chef. LJ Ames, CCC, CCPI, is the new Chef de Cuisine at BCH.
In his more than two decades in the culinary field, LJ has worked his way up from a prep assistant at age 14 to his current position at BCH. His career has taken him from Tomaso's in Phoenix, Arizona, to the famed Delmonico Steak House in New York City, as well as fine dining restaurants in Newport, Rhode Island, and near his home in rural Vermont and New Hampshire before bringing him to Iowa in 2005. He has worked at Hotel Pattee, Perry, and the Tournament Club of Iowa, Polk City. In addition, he has owned and operated his own restaurant and catering firm in the Fort Dodge area where he lives with his wife, Holly, and two daughters, Kambree, 5, and Milynne, 2. He is an American Culinary Federation Certified Chef de Cuisine, Certified Master Chef of Italian Cuisines from the Federation of Italian Chefs of America, as well as a member of the World Society of Master Chefs and Certified Culinary Professional from the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
“I hope to build on my experiences and education at New England Culinary Institute while at BCH and share my skills and knowledge with those I work with,” LJ says. “The department is in the process of developing new menus for the BCH Cafe and hope to have them available in the near future. We also hope to provide an exciting and diverse catering menu for hospital luncheons/meetings.” He adds, “I look forward to providing an exciting seasonal menu based on the best available products.”