Recipe

Power bowl with locally sourced 4-H lamb, mushroom, and lentil blend, served with farro pasta, carrots, grape tomatoes, crumbled feta, and a cucumber-yogurt sauce

Hospital

St. John's Health, Jackson, Wyo.

Chef

Laura Inukai

Meet the chef

Laura Inukai was born in Hood River, Ore. on an orchard. Canning and baking fruit for county and state fairs and a love for Northwestern seafood inspired her culinary career. While in college she started working at a sushi bar to get a discount on sushi. She has not left the food and beverage scene since. Inukai is passionate about for international travel, food and wine. She ended up in Jackson, Wyo. where she brought sushi to the area, working several years as a sushi chef and sommelier-dining room manager at a country club. In 2002 she left to help open a sushi restaurant called Nikai Sushi. It had a successful run until it closed in 2015. Inukai then wanted to help others with her skills so she started at St. John’s Medical Center, where she has been since. She is in charge of the salad bar and the grab-and-go salads.

Why did you choose this recipe?

I am very interested in wellness and sustainability as a chef. I am also interested in healing through food as well as saving the planet. I thought the use of local lamb would be best used in a Greek preparation. I wanted something high in protein, fiber, and also showcasing some raw local ingredients.

I usually do salad bowls and Buddha bowls that are cold. Bowls sell well, so I wanted to do one that was warm. I wanted to make sure it had a good amount of protein. It was kind of a play on a Greek gyro but as a plant-based bowl. This was definitely the biggest seller of the day with great responses.

How did you feature the recipe?

The special was posted around the hospital so it sparked a lot of interest. We offered samples of the lamb-lentil mixture topped with a bit of the cucumber-yogurt sauce. Almost everyone who tried it ordered it.

How is your recipe good for people and the planet?

Our ground lamb was sourced locally from the Jackson, Wyoming, 4-H club. In addition, most of the ingredients were organic, including cucumber, baby carrots, faro, mushrooms, Greek yogurt, and feta cheese. Our grape tomatoes and garlic were local and organic.

Closing thoughts?

People appreciated the use of organic as well as local items.