Bellevue Hospital's CEO spreads cheer

BELLEVUE — During the holidays, many people may have a favorite recipe or signature dish that they fix. For Timothy Buit, president and chief executive officer of The Bellevue Hospital, his specialty is his holiday double-decker melt-away fudge. "The recipe is a family tradition that was passed down through the generations," Buit said. "I remember my grandmother making it during the holidays. Then my mother began making it. It is a tradition I have continued, and now my son also makes it and gives it as gifts." Over the years, Buit has brought his legendary fudge to gatherings and gifted it to hospital colleagues during the holidays and other special occasions. Each holiday season, the caring CEO easily makes more than 140 pounds of fudge for family and friends. When the hospital's executive team was brainstorming desserts and gifts in November to provide during this year's annual employee holiday luncheon, Buit's fudge was a topic of conversation, and the group talked about what it would take to provide this famous fudge to everyone at The Bellevue Hospital. It was decided that making enough fudge for 500 people was too much work for one person to accomplish in such a short amount of time. So The Bellevue Hospital's human resources department reached out to the Candy Depot in Bellevue to see if the shop might have any solutions. LeRose Meadows, co-owner of Candy Depot, spearheaded the project and offered to make the fudge with the help of her seven "elves." What does it take to make 250 pounds of fudge? • 36 packages, 20 ounces each, of semi-sweet chocolate chips • 112 pounds of sugar • 72 cans, 12 ounces each, of evaporated milk • 18 pounds of butter • Nine bottles, 16 fluid ounces, each light corn syrup • 36 jars, 40 ounces each, of Jif peanut butter • 72 jars, 7 ounces each, of marshmallow cream • 4.5 cups white vinegar And a group of candy-loving ladies with a lot of determination pursued the task. Candy Depot began its mission on Dec. 11 in St. Paul's Episcopal Church's kitchen in Bellevue. By Dec. 13, the hospital picked up 500 4-inch by 4-inch containers of fudge. To add their own twist, the Candy Depot team added a green candy tree on top. "Thanks to the help of our friends at the Candy Depot, Tim was able to pass out the fudge, along with a copy of the recipe, to employees as they stopped in the Main Station Cafe for a holiday lunch," said Lisa Sartain, vice president of human resources. "Employees were excited, and it provided a nice personal touch for The Bellevue Hospital's family to receive fudge from our president and CEO." To keep it local, the hospital's holiday lunch was catered by Bubbarock Meat Co. in Bellevue, and employees also received Chamber of Commerce of Bellevue chamber checks.