For many people, the majority of Christmas Day is spent sitting comfortably around a fir tree, opening presents, catching up with wayward family members and eventually moseying along to a belt-loosening holiday dinner. The holiday is usually a time to relax, reflect and enjoy.
Mike Bryan, the 39-year-old executive chef at Palisades restaurant in Magnolia, used to follow that protocol. For the past two years, however, Bryan has found himself in the most unlikely place on a day generally reserved for hanging out in your PJs: the intensive-care unit at Harborview Medical Hospital. Since 2002, Bryan has spent a sizable chunk of Christmas Day at the regional ICU, cooking up and serving a holiday feast for patients, their family members, doctors and nurses.
Last month, Bryan was presented with the Harborview Community Service League's outstanding community service award. The award was given in recognition of the time he spends each year helping patients and their families forget their troubles in the ICU. According to Janet Jones, board president of the Community Service League, those troubles can be considerable.
The trauma center at Harborview receives patients with life-threatening injuries and illnesses from a service region encompassing Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Many of the people who end up there, either being treated or waiting for a family member to recover, find themselves in a frightening environment, in the middle of the big city with nothing to do except wait out the hours and hope for the best.When such an experience is compounded by occuring over the holidays, you've got the makings of a pretty bad day.
Several years ago, Bryan found himself in the ICU after a family friend suffered an aneurysm and was rushed to Harborview. Looking back, Bryan said he was inspired by the respect and caring evinced by the staff. "They treated him well," Bryan said. In fact, he was so touched by his time at the hospital that he took it upon himself to give something back. Working with the kitchen staff at the restaurant, he organized a staff-appreciation lunch for the folks at Harborview. He served more than 200 people, teaching the cooks how to prepare a "Palisade-style buffet" complete with mushroom-crusted beef tenderloin and crab-stuffed halibut - a far cry from the cafeteria food most patients are accustomed to.
The lunch was a hit, and before long Bryan was contacted by the hospital's volunteer league. They asked him what he thought of doing something similar on Christmas Day. Bryan, who knows what it's like to sit nervously waiting for good news, jumped at the opportunity.
"It was just something to take their minds off what was going on," Bryan said. "Anything to get them to forget that they were in a horrible place on Christmas and one of their family members was on the verge of life or death."
Putting together such a meal is a massive endeavor. Fortunately, Bryan said, people have proven themselves more than happy to pitch in. On Christmas Eve, a handful of his co-workers spend the evening preparing and cooking the food. Then, on Christmas Day, Bryan and two or three helpers, including his 6-year-old daughter, spend several hours at the hospital serving up a four-star meal. The whole spread costs around $700, all of which is paid for out of Palisades' charity fund.
Bryan, though, said it's not about money or public relations; it's about the smiles he can bring to the faces of people going through a rough time. He recalled a particularly touching moment the first year.
"Two years ago I had a lady come up to me and give me a big hug and say, 'Thank you, I needed this.' That right there sealed it: I'm going to do this as long as I can," he said.
Bryan said he plans on cooking for patients every year, adding that he hopes to continue gathering additional help preparing and serving the meal. He said he'd like to see the event expand into a once-a-month affair, assuming he can find other area chefs who would like to contribute their talents as well.
To that end, some progress has already been made. The family of a patient in Tacoma, after experiencing one of Bryan's holiday feasts, took it upon themselves to organize a similar Thanksgiving feast.
Bryan said he would like to be involved in the meals as often as possible, though his responsibilities as lead chef limit the time he can spend at the hospital. Each Christmas, however, he says he'll be there to help bring folks a little cheer.
"Every year it's going to be something I do," he said.
For those interested in learning how to help out, contact Mike Bryan at 285-1000, or Janet Jones of the Community Service League at 731-4093.
Jamal Siddiqui is a freelance writer living in Queen Anne.
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