HAPPENING IN THE KITCHEN
SYNDIA RICHARDSON , EXECUTIVE CHEF
As we head into April , we have a chance to reflect upon the busiest winter season in memory , while looking forward to an even busier Spring . The busy start to 2024 was a great opportunity to continue refining our culinary processes , and the feedback has been very good . It was nice to hear so many positive comments from our guests , and I could see that those comments had an equally positive effect on the kitchen staff . My employees are confident that their continued efforts to improve the consistency and quality of our food are being noticed , and that has encouraged them to keep it going !
We launched a new menu recently , and given the success of the prior menu- we were definitely aware that we had a standard to uphold ! As always , we considered the feedback of residents and guests while putting the menu together , and also met with members of the Food & Beverage committee to discuss continued improvements to our fare . Some of the committee members also attended our staff tasting , and it was nice to receive immediate responses from them about the new dishes . I also enjoyed the opportunity to chat with them about the details of menu preparation , seasonal considerations , and general culinary philosophy !
We have also had great fun and success with our Tuesday buffets and Sunday brunches , and each member of my culinary team has actually contributed to creating some of those specials . Alsonow that we have achieved a level of comfort in implementing the “ special menu ” days , we are going to start expanding our offerings , so that guests who might not want have Mexican food on Taco Tuesday will be able to have another option . So look for those a la carte “ extras ” coming to Tuesday nights !
Another positive change about working with Up to Par over the last year has been an improvement in both our internal and inter-department communication and processes , so this year I feel like I have a little more time to spend with my kitchen team working on new recipes , training methods , and just cooking together ! Also-thanks to the partnership with several resident committees , we are getting a brand new cooking range installed soon , which will definitely help to keep up with the bigger crowds this year !
Before I get back to working on the Easter Brunch menu , I would like to thank not only the residents and committee members for their support , but also my entire food & beverage team for working so hard to realize our goal to keep improving the guest experience every single day . We are all set to move into the next season with a Spring in our step !
Easy Spring Soup
Issue 2 p . 15
Ingredients ½ cup of butter 1 pound of leeks chopped 1 onion diced 3 potatoes diced 1 bunch of asparagus trimmed and cut into pieces 2 carrots peeled and diced ½ pound of fresh spinach ½ cup of uncooked rice 1 quart of vegetable stock 1 quart of water 1 cup of Heavy Cream 4 tsp of salt 1 tsp of pepper
Directions
1 . Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat .
2 . Stir in leeks and onions and cook until tender .
3 . Pour vegetable stock and water in the pot . Add potatoes , asparagus , and rice . Season it with salt and pepper .
4 . Bring the ingredients to a boil before reducing heat and covering it to simmer for 30 minutes .
5 . Add spinach and heavy cream and cook for five more minutes .