Adviser LeadingAge New York Summer 2015 July 2015 | Page 16

Palate
The Melting Pot:
A Taste of America with Benefits
Interview with T’Shana Tedder, food service director Dominican Village,
Sodexo general manager

W

hat if dining at the place you call
home means grooving to a steamy
jazz ensemble while enjoying a Mardis
Gras-style dining experience that brings you
the taste and feel of “N’awlins” on a five-star
level? You are served traditional dishes like
gumbo, fried okra and jambalaya and not
only will you experience the fabulous food,
you also learn more about the traditions
associated with Mardis Gras such as the king
cake. At Dominican Village, a not-for-profit,
non-sectarian, independent, assisted living
and respite care retirement community
located in Amityville and sponsored by the
Sisters of St. Dominic, this type of dining is a
reality for residents through a unique dining
option called the Melting Pot.

King cake: Extra-large oval doughnut pastry dusted
with colored candied sugar. A plastic baby doll is
hidden inside the cake – the lucky person who gets the
piece of cake with the doll inside (and doesn’t break a
tooth or swallow it in the process!) buys the king cake
for the next party of the Mardi Gras season.

The concept of the Melting Pot was developed specifically to impr