Getting old can be a disheartening experience. Our vision goes. Our hearing goes, and we’re at risk for a range of chronic conditions, but one company is giving seniors something to look forward to. Sandy Hausman has that story.
The late afternoon sun was shining as a jazz trio performed on the patio of Commonwealth in Charlottesville, one of 23 assisted living centers across the state. About 150 residents and their guests were invited to the company’s second annual culinary competition. Top chefs from Radford, Hillsville, Norfolk, Front Royal and South Boston offered an astonishing choice of appetizers, entrees and desserts:
Caribbean sweet potato soup, dark chocolate cheesecake, pan seared salmon with a Sambuca spinach-apple-carrot cream sauce were just a few of the gourmet offerings.
Some of the dishes were inspired by residents who submitted their favorite recipes earlier this year.
“The resident actually went with the chef and showed them how to cook it the correct way, because nobody cooks like they do,” says Bob Raymond, vice president of dining services for Commonwealth. For the last decade, he’s presided over a transition from typical cafeteria fare to gourmet menus featuring fresh ingredients from Virginia farms.
“We send about 70 trucks a day,” says Rachel Meyers, a local supplier with Produce Source Partners. Those trucks deliver zucchini and yellow squash, peppers, eggplants, lettuce, basil, potatoes, and apples, "Because this is Virginia," she explains with a smile. "We even have locally sourced tofu."
And, Raymond says, the company has committed to clean labels.
“If it’s not in your pantry at home, and if you can’t pronounce it on the label, we don’t use it!”
Raymond is a professional chef who had worked in the kitchens of top Canadian restaurants before agreeing to take the job. It was, he thought, a chance to do something important.
“We take care of my mum and dad, and my grandma and grandpa or up in Canada as we used to say our memes and pepes," he explains. "I remember when my meme was in a nursing home. It was not a good experience, and I thought to myself I can really have an impact, and I can help change the experience of our seniors every single day.”
Residents say the food is good, and family members don’t have to feel guilty. Richard Bulissa of Waynesboro was sitting down for dinner with his mother-in-law.
“This is kind of a pasta I guess, and this is salmon," he says, perusing a plate full of delicacies. " Shrimp in coconut – that was really good. It’s all been really great.”
In addition to the chefs’ offerings, supplier Brette Ciavarella said residents would vote on what will become Commonwealth’s signature cookie: strawberry lemonade, a peanut butter and jelly and a sea salt chocolate fudge filled cookie.
Residents picked strawberry lemonade, and a panel of judges named Bobby Bonds of Radford Commonwealth's top chef. He and his culinary team served an appetizer of pineapple chunks wrapped in candied bacon followed by beef tenderloin in a pumpkin ginger jus on a bed of roasted root vegetables with berry cobbler and vanilla mint ice cream for dessert. Of course the real winner was Commonwealth, a company that has grown ten-fold since its founding in 2002. In an increasingly competitive assisted living market, it can capitalize on cuisine to attract new residents.