Senior communities serve up a feast for foodies

While he's planning out menus, Leslie Johnson, chef and culinary director at Friendship Village of Bloomington, a senior living community, contemplates things like contrasts, textures and variety.

Johnson likes to experiment and the kitchen runs regular tastings — next month, it's hosting an event themed around French cooking. "We're bringing forward things that can be talked about. If you put a lot of flavors out, you do have a conversation about it," he said.

If it sounds more like he's running an upscale restaurant than a dining area at a senior living facility, that's by design.

Last year the place underwent a $5.2 million renovation of its kitchen and dining areas, which, at that point, hadn't changed much since 1979, according to Johnson, who's worked for Friendship Village for 20 years.

Friendship Village may be ahead of the curve, but many other senior and assisted-living facilities locally and across the country are also trying to emulate a restaurant-style setup, in terms of both menus and atmosphere, said Johnson.

At Friendship Village, there are now two distinct "restaurants," including the 68-seat Loon's Nest, a casual bistro, and the Elements, a more formal dining room that seats 200 and features a fireplace, white linen tablecloths and fine china. Both have separate operating hours, a hostess and wait staff.

The Elements also has a bar, a popular hangout on game days, and a wood-paneled "chef's room" is often used for catered events. Other spaces have jazz and sailing themes. The different spaces lend versatility.

Menu items reflect worldly influences, offering everything from beef tenderloin with a wine demi-glaze to artisanal pizzas, which people can watch being prepared in a hearth pizza oven from tables upfront in the Loon's Nest.

When Johnson arrived at Friendship Village, meals had a buffet format, but now the expanded kitchen allows for made-to-order, from-scratch items. "We even smoke our own meats," he said.

They're striving for healthier, fresher items. "I don't use any cans," he said.

The idea is to accommodate individual wants and needs as opposed to sending out dishes for the masses. They also do numerous catered events.

The approach has upped the skill level of the staff. Over the past year, Johnson has been hiring talent with culinary training. In the past, "You could train someone to do batch cooking," he said.

Ed Bather, 91, who has lived at Friendship Village for six years, is all for it: "The food is better and it's a more efficient kitchen with fresher things," he said.

The chef is able to do more innovative things. "So often, you get in a rut and you're looking at the same things all the time," Bather said.

Bather, who still goes to work every day at his office in Edina, likes to stop by the dining area and grab a lunch to bring with him.

Also, he and his wife like to consult with the hostess, who can introduce them to other residents during mealtime. It's always been a social event, as well, Bather said.

Rich Groshens, corporate director for nutrition and culinary services for Presbyterian Homes & Services, which also has restaurant-style eateries, said the trends relate to the expectations of baby boomers coming in, and also just the fact that guests may be eating in for multiple meals in a day, all week long.

"You have to be flexible and accommodate different trends and tastes," Groshens said.

In fact, to stay attuned to guests, he encourages his culinary directors and chefs to "get out in the dining room and engage customers," as it's done in the hospitality world. Rather than having suggestion boxes, "we want to get honest feedback," he said.

Likewise, Trillium Woods, which opened in Plymouth this past July, was designed with a restaurant concept, something that people seemed to latch onto right away during tours, said Jon Nolden, its executive chef.

It, too, features a menu characterized by fresh, local, scratch-made foods that change on a regular basis.

Honeycrisp apples from southern Minnesota are being showcased now, while "squash season" is imminent, said Nolden, who's "all about big, bold flavors."

Next year he hopes to grow some of his own menu items, by starting an herb and vegetable garden on the property.

His clientele, an educated, foodie set that's interested in gourmet food and wine, "wants to come in and know they'll get a good meal," Nolden said. It's a number one concern."

Anna Pratt is a freelance writer in Minneapolis.