“The sky’s the limit” is the mantra of the dining team at GreenFields of Geneva. The senior living community’s new dining leadership is poised and ready to raise the bar immeasurably for what is already a great program.
Executive Chef Eric Jansen has recently been promoted after three years from his position as sous chef at the senior living community. Brenon Sommers, with experience as a chef, in management and as a director of operations, is the new Dining Services Director. Together with their culinary team, Jansen and Sommers are elevating the dining program for the residents of the luxury retirement community in Geneva, Illinois.
At the top of their to-do list is enhancing the quality and variety of dining options. Just a few short months into the launch of their collaboration, fabulous fare is appearing on the menu and at special events. Items including Hudson Canyon scallops with blood orange beurre blanc, basil micro greens, dauphinoise potatoes, roasted tricolor carrots, crab legs, prawns, and andouille sausage, pepper their list.
“We’ve begun to create upscale menu items by doing certain things in-house, thus utilizing the talents of our culinary team. For instance, we have begun curing and smoking our own bacon,” said Jansen, adding that this makes a delicious difference. “We regularly offer fresh fish specials. We’ve done Arctic char and look forward to preparing grouper or mahi mahi soon. We have new party grills we enjoy using. We’re finding more local sources for great products. And, we strive to give the residents things they maybe haven’t had in quite some time.”
“We like to ‘wow’ our residents,” said Sommers. Within the last couple of weeks, the dining team has had a crab boil and a surf and turf dinner. Coming up is a pig roast. “We’re just trying things that are different, and everyone’s enjoying it,” he said, adding that they still offer their more traditional items that residents love.
While Jansen and his kitchen crew are responsible for the creation and presentation of the cuisine,
Sommers oversees operations. “I help facilitate the team, developing a direction and vision. I help determine how we get where we want to be, identifying what tools and resources we have and need,” he said. “We’re increasingly finding that it’s less about how we’ve always done things and more about fresh ideas that the team is fully capable of.”
Crucial to setting the course for the dining program is welcoming input from the residents. “We listen to their compliments, advice and suggestions. We rely on them to tell us what they like and make suggestions. We appreciate their honesty,” said Sommers.
“It’s very rare for us to say that we’re unable to do something the residents are asking for,” added Jansen. “We understand and respect the fact that we’re guests in their home, and we try to do everything we can to provide whatever makes them happy.”
In addition to enhanced dining options, the team also offers the residents a program called Culinary Explorations. “We hold demos and tastings similar to those in a teaching kitchen. Recently, we partnered with Midwest Produce, one of our purveyors. They came and did a farmers’ market. Residents could see the produce that we have access to and are using in the food they eat from day to day. Midwest talked about sourcing from local farms. We grilled some of the produce and incorporated it into a salad that everyone sampled. It showcased what the team is capable of,” said Jansen.
“I didn’t think we’d progress as fast as we have,” said Sommers. “The overall impression from the team, leadership, and the residents is that there’ve been a lot of positives, and we don’t want to lose our momentum.”
Sommers said his favorite part of his role is “the experience of seeing people smile. It really is an honor and a privilege to be able to try new things and give these folks the food they so richly deserve. Just hearing someone say, ‘wow.’ That’s the ‘icing’ on the cake. As Eric says, ‘The sky’s the limit!’”
