Hi everyone,
I was wondering from your collective experiences how you find the standard menu items in assisted living communities. I am asking because I have just started as Director of Culinary at a well respected community in my area. While I have many, many years of restaurant chef experience this sector is new to me. We are looking to "revamp" service and menus and would appreciate any suggestions. I would also love to hear positive experiences you and your families have had.
One thing they did at my mom's IL, they published a cookbook of resident's recipes. The chefs would make some of them from time to time.
You might do that and call the dish after the creator, i.e. Willie's Chili, Flos lemon meringue, etc.
Food plays an incredibly important role in peoples lives and I (within the craaaaazy budget) really hope to make meals a bright time to eat, drink and be merry! Fresh not frozen going into the summer to totally doable within budget and it makes me wonder why seasonal was not taken advantage of before.
Thank you for all the input
When I was in the hospital a couple years ago, I knew they had a new chef as everything was loaded with spices. Seriously, give me mashed potatoes with a glop of butter or gravy, don't need rosemary and other spices thrown in :)
Presentation. Even a good meal looks better when plated properly, a sad meal looks even worse when slopped on a plate like something being served at he prison cafeteria.
Value added thinking. People are eating there every meal, every day. Some thought should be given to tweaking recipes to boost nutrition... not plain custard but fruit custard, not a bran muffin but a banana bran muffin, chicken noodle soup made with real broth and not reconstituted powdered broth, desserts should not be a choice of cake or fruit but both, or a cake with fruit in the recipe.
And yes, it would be lovely if there was some thought given to menu items from a variety of cultures and not so heavily weighted between meat & potatoes and pasta.
I want to add here, you can tell the difference when the kitchen is run by someone who has had work experience in the restaurant business vs someone who has always cooked in institutions, it's like night and day!
recipes from "their time" changed up a bit to healthier version. At this stage in life, if it were me, who cares cares what's healthy and what's NOT! (That's just speaking hot myself). Most of those people can't chew much...the idea of a cookout including steak, is awesome to them but not when they can't chew the meat and pureeing it is not appealing...AND there are those who CAN chew! So I feel sad for the ones who can't chew the steak ugh
Hmm, it's sooo
hard to please everybody, it would be a tough job to be in charge of the food.
Only thing I know is, let me eat whatever I want when I reach that stage...gooey cheesey mac n cheese, anything cheese and I'm happy! I'm not supposed to have dairy cuz of allergy, who cares by then...dairy makes me happy which makes me happy to be around
AND "visual"...who wants a dollop of instant potatoes, perfectly round,the size of a tangerine and white as a golf ball! I know it's about portion too but how about using a big tablespoon and throw it kinda messy on the plate like "mom" used to do! And the tasteless gravy, eww...now my mind is rambling...I have had lotsa good food there!!
Overall, you can't please everyone...just know you have a very important job that you won't get thanked enough for!!! Your budget and guidelines won't allow you to do what you'd like probably! Which is why "THE FOOD" at these places should be HIGH priority... Let's face it, we all love to eat, and it's one of the last things we do enjoy especially those who eat, sleep and repeat. Oh, and watch TV!
Good luck with tryin to please, it ain't gonna happen just know we know you are doing your best with what you have to work with.😉
Overall here are some thoughts - some may be a challenge due to budget considerations: Variety of food. Residents often joked about would you like chicken today or chicken? It seems that chicken would be on the menu in several forms at one meal. And how would you like your pasta today was the other favorite joke.
Cooking for a variety of seniors is THE challenge. Low sodium, easy to digest, easy to chew, foods within a budget lead to repetitious items.
One place did do theme weeks or nights. So, for events near a holiday, food themes were also introduced. Cook out days in the summer for example. Hot dogs and hamburgers and watermelon. Ice cream was often offered at 2 places but never at the third. Residents loved GOOD ice cream just as much as kids do! Depending upon the level of residents, if they don't get out much, bring treats in! One day, we brought over a stack of girl scout cookies (thin mints) for the table of 4 my loved one sat at. We couldn't have gotten as big a reaction if we brought each one a million dollars. The ladies reminisced about girl scouts, one had been a leader, badges, etc. It was the biggest hit EVER. Food brings memories and conversation. Good luck with your new position. The very fact that you are asking is a great sign for the residents you will be directing meals for.
Mom's chef offers "breakfast to order" - cereals to choose from, eggs to order, sausage or bacon, pancakes, muffins, toast, juices, milk. "Lunch" at noon is called dinner (because it's the larger meal) - usually some type of casserole (or meat & potatoes), a vegetable dish, & maybe a Jello (or creamy) fruit salad (or canned fruit) & dessert like small piece of cake, coffee. The evening meal is called "supper" (it's a midwest thing LOL.) - a small sandwich, a veggie side like pickled beets or coleslaw, maybe a few potato chips & a cookie.
Oh and on Wednesday they do "snack on a cart" where the activities director goes room to room offering packaged snack items for them to choose from.
All in all, we are very happy with the meals there. I join her from time to time. And when I visit, I bring things like fresh apples & oranges (they do put a half banana & small glass of orange juice out for each person every breakfast), a few baby carrots, celery, etc., and also keep her tiny fridge stocked with bread for toast, butter & jam. Her cupboards have grahams and saltines, peanut butter, popcorn for her little micro, etc. And a couple cans of those heat in the can soups. That way, if she doesn't feel like being sociable, she just eats her own stuff in her room. The gals are great though about bringing her a tray from the kitchen too, if she wants to sit & watch L. Welk on T. V.! We can't complain!!
12 years ago, my husband had emergency open heart surgery. One of the few things he liked about his hospital stay? He LIKED the food!
My husband LOVES diner food. And the food at this NYC hospital was basically high end diner food. He was in heaven (he's married to someone who cooks healthy/ethnic/ weird on a regular basis.
It's about knowing the audience.
When I asked aunts about their care center the first thing each of them said was "Oh the food is good!"
Sometimes the meals are the one thing people have to look forward to in a day. They are a way of measuring time. "It is almost time for lunch." Chefm I want you to know that you have a very important role in people's lives. It is probably more important that you please your customers that it ever was in a restaurant.
(When we brought treats in for staff, we always brought a plate or box for the kitchen staff. Family and visitors also recognize the importance of culinary services.) I'll post again with specifics. But I first wanted to congratulate you on your important new position.
A resident could choose at lunch or supper a salad or soup to start with.... then an entree... or a large specialty salad... or a really nice high quality sandwich if one already had a big meal for lunch. Then a variety of deserts.
My Dad couldn't have dairy products, so I would bring in his own special Lactaid ice cream which was kept in the freezer in case he wanted ice cream. The waitstaff knew my Dad by name and knew about his ice cream.
There will be special diets so one has to plan for those residents who need low salt, or low sugar meals. And those with food allergies, such as gluten. There maybe some residents who can't eat whole foods, thus the foods would need to be blended.
Watch the religious holidays so that special foods can be available.... such as during Lent, the Catholics like to have fish on Fridays.
I think various folks enjoy vegetables cooked different ways. Some people can't eat crunchy vegetables, and some folks love them. There needs to be variety!