Sharp Coronado Hospital’s famous banana bread (recipe)

Medications? Check. Personal belongings? Check. Doctor’s notes? Check. Banana bread? Check.

Yes, you read that correctly: banana bread.

For nearly 15 years, patients at Sharp Coronado Hospital preparing to be discharged have left with more than the typical items one would expect. They’re also given a freshly baked loaf of banana bread to take with them.

The tradition started around 2011, when Julie Olmos, the patient services manager at the time, began baking the bread from scratch based on her mother’s recipe. “Patients loved it so much that we began gifting them to all our patients as a goodbye gift,” recalls Lilian Madrigal Garcia, who was a diet clerk at Sharp Coronado Hospital in 2011, served as the operations manager for Food & Nutrition Services at Sharp Coronado Hospital, and now holds that position at Sharp Grossmont Hospital.

Carrying on the tradition

The Food Operations team at Sharp Coronado Hospital bakes around 20 to 25 loaves every three days. “Patients have to be screened to ensure their diet allows for banana bread,” says Serena Cuevas, operations manager for Food & Nutrition Services at Sharp Coronado Hospital.

After obtaining and screening the list of patients leaving the hospital that day, Serena’s team will deliver anywhere from four to eight loaves daily to patients’ hospital rooms. Each wrapped loaf includes a thank-you card from the Food Operations team.

Lillian says that this act of kindness is part of Food & Nutrition Service’s longstanding Planetree initiative to provide personalized care to all patients. “It's been a wonderful tradition to deliver these breads to discharging patients, and I am happy to help carry it on,” adds Serena.

However, you don’t have to be a patient to enjoy Sharp Coronado Hospital’s banana bread. The recipe can be found below. Keep in mind, though, that it’s a special sweet treat intended to lift spirits — not be a part of your daily diet. To make the bread a bit lighter, consider simple ingredient swaps, such as natural sweeteners and coconut oil instead of sugar and butter.