At Brandywine Living, Sean Keating wants to stay on the cutting edge of culinary trends—but he also wants to tread with caution. As corporate director of culinary innovation, he re-
cently launched a steakhouse, of sorts. It’s only open on Saturdays and only at one property. Residents can pick from three steaks, three sauces, two veggies, and two sides. “I’ll try it in one community, maybe 10 resi- dents, and if it flops I can cut ties without getting too hurt,” Keating said. The steakhouse taps into emerging trends in senior
dining: Fresh foods, made to order. Like many in se- nior dining, Keating is looking to follow trends without being trendy. It can be hard to strike that balance, to deliver seniors the comfort food they want while offer- ing paleo/vegan/gluten-free options. In this article we’ll take a look at what’s legitimately
trending and the large-scale evolutions within senior dining. We’ll consider the tools available to help culi- nary executives track the trends that really matter, take a deep dive into the how-to’s of small batch service, and explore the kitchen management techniques that are helping chefs meet changing tastes cost effectively.
What’s hot? In recent years, pickle-flavored foods like ice pops and candy canes had their 15 minutes of fame, and sous vide was briefly, wildly popular, until it wasn’t anymore. Kobe sliders came and went. Food trends can be a trap. Just when you’ve found the right use for kale, this (actual) headline appears: “Kale is dead. Long live watercress.” That being said, there are some big picture evolu-
tions underway that are going to prove real and lasting, and that senior dining executives need to be taking into account. Sodexo Seniors vice president of marketing Thandi
Baxter-Magro paints this picture: “We are seeing more of a focus on plant-based foods versus the more tradi- tional meat and potatoes. With that comes an openness to more variety and more options. We see a contin- ued emphasis on eating healthy, but an unwillingness to trim back on taste. So we need to find ways to be flavorful and to provide nutrition in healthier ways.” Variety lies at the core of the movement. “You can
call it a marketplace or a food court: It’s about having multiple venues as a way to offer more choices. It’s like a cruise ship model where there are lots of dining rooms and you can pick and choose. Or it’s kiosks, like in the mall model,” said Harris Ader, CEO of the Senior Dining Association. In broad terms chefs are also hearing a call for foods
that are locally grown, that go beyond mere calories to offer nutrition; foods that seem—in some vague and
A steak entrée served by Brandywine Living.
yet important way—more real. At Allegro Senior Liv- ing, vice president of dining services Mark Krystopa talks about this as a trend toward nurturing the body. That can mean avocados and heirloom greens, and it can also mean a breakfast bowl with cage-free eggs and steel-cut oatmeal. “We are trying to build a core menu of foods that
would benefit you,” he said. “It’s a belief in a dining experience that nurtures your body.” Baxter-Magro echoes this theme. “Fresh, local, sea-
sonal, sustainable are all key areas. They want wild caught salmon. They want to know how much of their fruits and veggies come from local sources. They want things that are made from scratch,” she said. This trend can have serious consequences in the
kitchen, where the old routines and even old equip- ment may need to be reconsidered. Keating has pulled the fryers out of five buildings and started air-baking French fries. He talks about “brain foods” and “power foods” like spinach and blueberries. Some of-the-moment trends may be a part of this: It
speaks to vegan and vegetarian sensibilities and can play to a gluten-free diet as well. But the trend writ large is bigger than those trendier expressions. It’s a lifting up of the culinary experience overall. Seniors who cut their teeth on canned peas during the Depression are making way for a new generation with a broader, more compli- cated set of expectations. It isn’t necessarily expressed in terms of specific ingredients and recipes, but rather in broader notions of “quality” and “variety.” It takes some finesse to understand just how this
broad movement will play out at any given senior community, where residents will likely have their own unique spin on the emerging gastronomy.
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