Nutritious lunch with friends is best treatment

Atlanta Bread dishes up meals for cancer patients

For those undergoing treatment at Central DuPage Hospital Cancer Center, a dose of Atlanta Bread may just be the right medicine. And thanks to a partnership between the new facility and the Warrenville restaurant, patients can enjoy nutritious meals when they need them the most.

Caroline Basciani (left), owner and general manager of Atlanta Bread, reviews orders with her daughter Caroline "Little C" at the family's restaurant in Warrenville.

“When we moved to the cancer center, we no longer had access to the hospital cafeteria,” said Cheryl Ylinen, Central DuPage Hospital oncology nutrition specialist. “The administration wanted to continue to provide a meal service for the patients undergoing treatment, and they sent me on a search.”

Ylinen’s quest for a restaurant that could deliver nutritious meals to the cancer center led her to Atlanta Bread, 28251 Diehl Road in Warrenville. The registered dietitian met with Caroline Basciani, owner and general manager of the family-operated restaurant.

“Caroline was extremely amenable to creating special items for our cancer patients,” Ylinen said. “Many patients have taste changes — so we created a menu that offered options.”

Each weekday, the team from Atlanta Bread prepares healthy options for those undergoing treatment at Central DuPage Hospital Cancer Center.

“Cheryl and I met, and viewed all of our products,” said Basciani, 59. “I opened up all of our nutritional information to her, and together we developed special menu items designed to be delicious, eye-appealing and nutritious.”

Since July, Atlanta Bread has been providing special lunch offerings to patients undergoing treatment at Central DuPage Hospital Cancer Center. photos by Jane Donahue / For the Sun

Basciani said good nutrition is especially important to cancer patients because both the illness and its treatment can affect a person’s appetite.

“I have a sister who is a survivor, and I understand how important it is that cancer patients eat nutritious meals,” Basciani said. “When creating the menu, we considered salt-control, portion size and protein — these are the things we were very aware of.”

Besides providing special menu items for patients, Atlanta Bread offers regular menu options for friends and family members at a discount, and delivers them to the cancer center along with patient meals.

“People don’t like to eat alone,” Basciani said. “Patients need the support of their family and friends, and sharing a meal is part of that.”

A patient receiving treatment at CDH Cancer Center shared the sentiment.

“I love that my husband and I can have lunch together while I am receiving my treatment,” she said. “The CDH Cancer Center markets (that) they provide everything under one roof and they truly do. The food service is fantastic.”

• Atlanta Bread is a family-owned and operated restaurant at 28251 Diehl Road in Warrenville. To learn more, visit www.atlantabreadwarrenville.com
• To learn more about Central DuPage Hospital, visit www.cdh.org