Order of Excellence in Foodservice: dining style finds a place on the menu. (Awards).While waiting for this year's entries for the Order of Excellence in Foodservice Awards to reach our office, we wondered what kind of new and exciting dining programs were being presented to residents over the past year. Our wait was rewarded with a collection of more than a dozen innovative dining services programs. The field of high-quality entries challenged our panel of judges Panel of Judges is an indie pop band from Melbourne, Australia. Members
A touch of something new mixed in with some old favorites best describes what many entrant-facilities' dining services programs offer their residents. Our panel of judges was a similar mix of veterans and a newcomer. Reprising their roles as judges were Mark Zacharia and Walter Schruntek. (See "Our compliments to the chefs!", October 2001 CLTC CLTC Certified in Long-Term Care CLTC Community Long Term Care CLTC Chapter Leadership Training Conference , page 27.) Wayne Goldman, C.P.M., CFPM CFPM Certified Food Protection Manager CFPM Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (Head of the Military Police in Canada) CFPM Center for Policy Modeling CFPM Certified Foodservice Purchasing Manager , A.P.P., vice president of Strategic Sourcing for Star Purchasing Inc. in Milwaukee, CLTC Editorial Advisory Board member, and foodservice expert/consultant was this year's rookie rookie a novice; often an athlete playing his first season as a member of a professional sports team. [Sports: Misc.] See : Inexperience on the panel. Common goals Improvements in the dining options offered to residents can be a lofty goal. This year's winners sought out ways to offer residents a choice of venue, a variety of dining styles, and expanded menus. But the amenity a·men·i·ty n. pl. a·men·i·ties 1. The quality of being pleasant or attractive; agreeableness. 2. Something that contributes to physical or material comfort. 3. these facilities are most grateful for is bringing back activities that were lost when the residents moved into the facility. The chance to get dressed Verb 1. get dressed - put on clothes; "we had to dress quickly"; "dress the patient"; "Can the child dress by herself?" dress primp, preen, dress, plume - dress or groom with elaborate care; "She likes to dress when going to the opera" up for a night "out," prepare their own meal, or choose what dining style they're in the mood for are a few things many had given up. Doing the homework What are your residents' dining desires? Ask them. A simple survey can find out what foods your residents like and don't like, what their dining-style preferences are, and if they think any changes are needed at all. Take that last one with a grain of salt, of course. Remember that since older people tend to favor what's familiar to them, they may not be enthusiastic about making changes. But don't let that stop you! Before you whet your appetite for a complete overhaul of your dining services, look again. Maybe all you really need to do is put a little more fun into the menu. Thoughts, comments, queries Keep the lines of communication "Lines of Communication" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Synopsis Franklin and Marcus attempt to persuade the Mars resistance to assist Sheridan in opposing President Clark. open. You know you don't have to ask a second time for a resident's opinion about his or her meal. Comment cards and short, simple surveys work best. These give the residents a chance to let you know their thoughts before memory-loss problems frustrate them and you. On to the winners! CLTC proudly presents the Shell Point Retirement Community; New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Congregational con·gre·ga·tion·al adj. 1. Of or relating to a congregation. 2. Congregational Of or relating to Congregationalism or Congregationalists. Adj. 1. Nursing Center; White Horse Village, Woodcrest Villa, and Culinary Design Service; and Brightwood Center, Fairway Oaks Center, and Coquina coquina Limestone formed almost entirely of sorted and cemented fossil debris, most commonly coarse shells and shell fragments. Microcoquinas are similar sedimentary rocks composed of finer material. Center. We hope their ideas inspire you to spark up the breakfasts, kick up the lunches, and spice up the dinners at your place! WINNER: CUSTOMER SERVICE/DINING PROCEDURES Shell Point Retirement Community Fort Myers Fort Myers, city (1990 pop. 45,206), seat of Lee co., SW Fla., on the Caloosahatchee River, near the Gulf of Mexico; founded 1850, inc. 1905. It has a tourist trade and light industry and is a shipping point for citrus fruits, winter vegetables, flowers (especially , Fla. Something for everyone Shell Point Retirement Community, a seniors housing complex in Fort Myers, Fla., set a lofty goal for itself: Meet the changing desires of its 1,650 residents. The result was a dining program that offers a winning combination of dining options and menus. Dining services for Shell Point's independent-living residents were once limited to an a la carte menu and daily buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner offered in the Crystal Dining Room. Seeking to bring the quality of dining services up to par with the lifestyle it offered, The dining services staff researched the residents' dining needs and desires. The result was a new dining program that spiced up more than the menus. Residents can choose from two casual dining eateries for breakfast and lunch, the Island Cafe and Mulligan's Snack Shop. The Cafe Promenade offers informal dining for all meals. The original buffet dining gave up its a la carte menu and was renamed The Crystal Room. And, the crowning touch to Shell Point's dining program is The Mahogany mahogany, common name for the Meliaceae, a widely distributed family of chiefly tropical shrubs and trees, often having scented wood. The valuable hardwood called mahogany is obtained from many members of the family; in America and Europe it is imported for Room, a 70-seat formal restaurant offering an upscale menu in an elegant setting. JURY COMMENTS: Goldman: "Great research, analysis, and implementation." Zacharia: "One could easily mistake any one of these eateries as [an establishment] that was intended to be a restaurant first and not a retirement community first that offered food service ..." Schruntek: "One of the things, among several, that struck me is ... there was a wide range of options open to the residents." WINNER: SPECIFIC WENT New York Congregational Nursing Center Brooklyn, N.Y. A three-course program At the New York Congregational Nursing Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., residents are treated to a three-course special event known as Food for Thought. This program, partially funded by a United Hospital Fund grant, provides residents with the chance to bring three mealtime-related activities back into their lives. The first course is a weekly interactive prep kitchen/cooking demonstration/meal. Executive Chef Chet Miechkowski oversees the residents in his "prep kitchen" as they knead knead tr.v. knead·ed, knead·ing, kneads 1. To mix and work into a uniform mass, as by folding, pressing, and stretching with the hands: kneading dough. 2. , chop See channel op. 1. CHOP - channel op 2. (language, tool) Chop - A code generator by Alan L. Wendt <wendt@CS.ColoState.EDU> for the lcc C compiler front end. Version 0.6 is interfaced with Fraser and Hanson's lcc front end. , peel, and slice what's needed for the noon meal. Miechkowski then demonstrates preparing the meal. Having worked up an appetite, the residents get to enjoy the "fruits" of their labor. Next is the Food for Thought collection of recipes and memories contributed by the residents, their families, and staff members that are family favorites that bring back warm memories. The program's highlight is a "night out at a fine restaurant" for the residents. The facility's community room, Linden Hall Linden Hall is a former mansion house at Longhorsley. Northumberland which is now operated as a hotel and country club. The Hall has Grade II listed building status. , is transformed into Linden Linden, city, United States Linden, city (1990 pop. 36,701), Union co., NE N.J., in the New York metropolitan area; inc. 1925. During the first half of the 20th cent. Cafe. Staff members, lead by Director of Special Projects Irene Carr, hang pictures, cover the tables with linen tablecloths, set out fine china, crystal, and silver, and provide black-tie wait service. Miechkowski's menu of soup, garden salad A garden salad is a salad consisting of lettuce and simple vegetables found in a small vegetable garden such as tomatoes, carrots, onions, and dressing. , a choice of four entrees served with a vegetable, and rice or potato, and a dessert, make for a meal that rivals any served at a four-star restaurant. JURY COMMENTS: Goldman: "Using residents in [an interactive] activity is great." Schruntek: "The recipe book was very well done. There were comments from the authors that gave it a human touch." CO-WINNERS: PARTNERSHIP/BEST DESIGN Woodcrest Villa Lancaster, Pa. and Culinary Design Service Blue Bell, Pa. New options meet old traditions One of the tougher challenges facing CCRCs is meeting the needs of today's residents while preparing for the demands of tomorrow's. The co-winners of this year's Partnership/Best Design award have found a way to do this. Working with Culinary Design Service in Blue Bell, Pa., two communities, White Horse Village (Newton Square, Pa.) and Woodcrest Villa (Lancaster, Pa.), redesigned their foodservice operation to merge new options with old favorites. The updated dining services offered at these communities include a formal dining room, an informal/formal buffet dining area, and a bistro/cafe. The formality formality, in chemistry: see chemical equilibrium; concentration. of white tablecloths and tableside ta·ble·side n. The area beside or around a table, especially in a restaurant. adv. & adj. Made or prepared alongside a table: lamb that was carved tableside; a tableside recitation of the menu. wait service appeals to the residents of today. But tomorrow's residents, while not abandoning traditional choices, want more than a varied menu from their foodservice options. That's where the buffet dining and bistro/cafe fill the bill. White Horse Village Newton Square, Pa. and Culinary Design Service Blue Bell, Pa. The different stations are arranged to allow for free traffic flow from station to station. The single line of service that had residents waiting for up to 20 minutes for dessert and coffee has been eliminated. Now residents can go directly to the station serving their choice and enjoy their meal in minutes. JURY COMMENTS Goldman: "There are differences in the marketplace and it is going to get even tougher to satisfy the dietary needs when the "boomers" arrive. They seem to have gotten it all together." Zacharia: "We were particularly impressed with their ability to redesign re·de·sign tr.v. re·de·signed, re·de·sign·ing, re·de·signs To make a revision in the appearance or function of. re the floor to minimize wait time during the foodservice." Schruntek: "I think what is significant is that this is a facility built in 1989 and now it has one of these modern foodservice operations including a new bistro/cafe." BEST PRACTICE: SPECIFIC EVENTS Brightwood Center Baltimore, Md. Fairway Oaks Center Tampa, Fla. Coquina Center Ormond Beach Ormond Beach, resort and residential city (1990 pop. 29,721), Volusia co., NE Fla., on Halifax River (a lagoon) and the Atlantic Ocean; inc. 1880. It was founded (1873) as a health resort and was the winter home of several famous people, including John D. , Fla. Something to celebrate The versatility of the Celebrations program by Genesis Hospitality Services is what makes it a best practice. Here are three different facilities that have this program in place, yet each has been able to make it their own. The program is more than a creative menu for a festive fes·tive adj. 1. Of, relating to, or appropriate for a feast or festival. 2. Merry; joyous: a festive party. meal. It teams up the foodservice staff with the recreational, nursing, and PT/OT staffs to create a day of food and fun for the residents. Each Celebration has a theme and includes a menu and ideas for activities, costumes, and decorations. The menu sets the tone for the event; the rest of the Celebration is up to each facility's staff to mix and match the ideas provided or come up with their own. The only requirement is to keep in mind the varied functional and cognitive abilities of the residents and present something for everyone. JURY COMMENTS Zacharia: "It's hoped that readers might be able to glean glean v. gleaned, glean·ing, gleans v.intr. To gather grain left behind by reapers. v.tr. 1. To gather (grain) left behind by reapers. 2. an opportunity throughout the calendar year when they can marry events to specific menus and make them unique." Schruntek: "I think what impressed me most about the three submissions is how detailed some of these ideas were. They put contests together [and] created games and activities. |
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