If you talk to Salem Medical Center Cook Grace Bundy, you’ll know right away that she’s not originally from Salem County. Her endearing accent gives her away.
“I’m from a little town in Virginia called Champlain,” she said. “But I’ve lived here (Pedricktown) for 41 years.”
Bundy has spent 22 of those years in the SMC dietary department.
When cooking for patients, Bundy follows prescribed recipes which cover several strict diets, said Andrew Aquino, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at SMC.
“In cases like allergies, she cooks a completely separate batch for each patient like an a la carte line in a restaurant,” Aquino said.
And she takes great care in preparing every meal.
“I love to make people happy with food,” she said. “I like to make sure the food is so good that the people can say, ‘I love what she cooked for me.’”
When she’s not at SMC, Bundy enjoys spending time with her family which includes six grandchildren ranging in age from 5 to 17.
“We play football and basketball and have fun together,” she said. “I’m very close to my son and daughter, too. We spend a lot of quality time together. That’s important.”
But when it’s time to relax, Bundy loves to watch television.
“My favorite is ‘Family Matters,’” she laughed. “I love that show!”
Aquino said Bundy “embodies the spirit of the hospital.”
“She believes in what this hospital means to the community,” he said. “She truly cares that everyone enjoys their meal.”