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By SIMONA COVEL

When you think of hospital food, you probably don't imagine dishes like macadamia-crusted tilapia with sweet soy reduction and mint sauce.

Debra Lynn Ross wanted to change that.

Ms. Ross is director of corporate communications at Consorta Inc., a small purchaser and distributor of supplies -- including medical devices, office supplies and kitchen items -- for a network of faith-based and nonprofit hospitals. And she needed to persuade more food companies to offer their wares to Consorta's affiliated hospitals.

But what started as small-scale food and nutrition demonstrations at its annual conference morphed into "Battle of the Hospital Chefs," a slickly produced cook-off that drew not only the interest of hospital suppliers but local and national media as well.

It's the kind of event that, when done right, can attract new customers and spread the word among a targeted audience.

Beyond Mystery Meatloaf

Consorta, a 46-employee company in the Chicago area, had encouraged suppliers to hold food demonstrations at their booths at its 2006 conference, but they fell flat. So Ms. Ross, who is a fan of cooking-competition television shows like "Top Chef," thought a cook-off would be a prime showcase for food and nutrition as well as for Consorta.

"We tried to think of what kind of event would draw attention to the way food has been changing" in hospitals, she says, getting away from the stereotypes of "mystery meatloaf and green Jell-O."

One problem: The company had only eight weeks to find judges, create promotion materials, plan logistics and find contestants. It also had to rent cooking equipment and install large mirrors on the ceiling so the audience could peer into pots and pans as chefs cooked.

Ms. Ross put together a team of seven people, who worked practically around the clock, she says. One person worked with the chefs. Another created a Web site. A third spread the word to the media.

Chefs at Consorta's affiliated hospitals submitted recipes. Meals had to contain a protein, starch, vegetable and beverage -- and cost less than $4.95 a plate. Consorta's head of food and nutritional contracting sifted through nearly 200 submissions to select a slate of contestants.

The firm reached out to a "dream list" of judges and signed up the first three who responded -- three well-known Chicago chefs. Consorta's CEO and chief operating officer rounded out the panel.

'To the Next Level'

Outsourcing the event, Ms. Ross estimates, might have cost up to $100,000 -- much more than the small firm could spend. So Consorta decided to do the work in-house and secure sponsors. The sponsors never materialized, however, and the event cost the firm about $25,000.

The event, held at a downtown Chicago hotel during its conference in September, drew two local media outlets and ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." Consorta sent plates of food to the anchors of a Chicago morning show to sample on the air.

"It pushed healthy food in hospitals...and took our media relations to the next level," says Ms. Ross.

She says she expects Consorta's event to be bigger next year. Ms. Ross is planning regional competitions, which would culminate in a national cook-off. The company is trademarking the "Battle of the Hospital Chefs" name. And she's trying again for sponsors to ease the cost burden.

Write to Simona Covel at simona.covel@wsj.com