April is the month for spring cleaning, but how often do you consider extending this tradition to your health?
At Wesley Homes, the culinary staff prepares fresh and delicious meals daily. Lea Hill campus Director of Culinary Services, Abby Adams, is working hard to transform the stigma behind retirement food service. Abby commented on the importance of fresh food,
“As a classically trained chef, when I prepare a menu I look for quality. It’s important to balance quality with our resident’s food preferences and what produce are in season and locally grown. All of the meat and seafood we buy are local, sustainable, fresh and not frozen. Commonly, people view retirement home menu items as institutional, frozen and prepackaged, but at Wesley Homes, we focus on quality. I want to bring the food quality of a 5-star restaurant to the Lea Hill campus.”
Nutritious meals are crucial to the health of Wesley Homes’ residents. The cornerstone of nutritious eating is to eat fresh and unprocessed meals. Abby’s delicious and nutritious menu items include cherry tomato, green bean and wax bean salad, crispy salmon, spiced lentils, Greek shrimp with tomato and feta cheese and many more.
Abby puts a unique spin on her menu items. For example, Abby’s pasta bar is far from ordinary, including handmade spinach pasta and pistachio pesto. Abby’s concern for the health of Wesley Homes’ resident is apparent in her menu selection and her desire to create transparency in her selections. All menus provided include an explanation of what goes into each dish. Residents are also given explanations for the traditional names of dishes, such as “Puttanesca is a sauce made from tomatoes, olive oil, olives, capers, and garlic.”
Abby’s exciting menu items and unique twist on favorite dishes stem from her diverse background. She started her career at 17 working closely with a sushi chef. She then transitioned to Metropolitan Market as a Culinary Artist, working closely with well-known Seattle chefs Jason McClure of Sazerac and Tom Douglas, a well-known executive chef, restauranteur and author. Abby also worked as a personal chef for The Seattle Symphony, an associate of Martha’s Stewart and a musician from Pearl Jam.
Fresh homemade meals aren’t only prepared for the Lea Hill residents. Wesley Homes Des Moines Culinary Services source food from the same local and sustainable farms. If you’re a little jealous of these expertly prepared meals, don’t fret! You can still stay healthy at home with home cooked meals consisting of whole, fresh foods. A large part of healthy eating is consuming foods that have minimal to no processing. This requires meal preparation that can be tedious for older adults. If you have difficulty shopping for groceries and cooking, look no further than Wesley Homes Home Health for services to help you make nutritious meals that are vital for a healthy life.
Learn more about Wesley Homes Lea Hill here.
For more information on how Wesley Homes Home Health and our Get Well, Stay Well program, visit the Home Health Page
Wesley Homes Culinary Services are provided by Morrison, Click here for more details
As always, be sure to consult your doctor, nurse or Home Health aid before any major diet changes.
Abby and her team make every event they cater special! The residents and staff of Wesley Homes Lea Hill are so fortunate to have a group that not only provides exemplary customer service but outstanding cuisine as well! Hat’s off to the culinary crew on the campuses of Auburn and Des Moines!
I appreciate the good meals I have here at the Terrace, but sometimes I get so hungry for real Vietnamese pho or real Thai rice noddles, phad thai. I long for Chinese flavors such as Singapore noodles. I am gluten free but all of the above are gluten free.