IRON CHEF COMPETITION Belmont Village Senior Living
As the country began to emerge from the pandemic, Belmont Village staff wanted to galvanize a turnaround by doing something big, bold, and fun. They wanted to host a major event to unite staff, family, and residents in a communal enterprise, and the planning committee recognized that food is a vehicle for bringing people together, especially when they share in the preparation of a meal. This led to the creation of a two-month Iron Chef campaign and cook-off competition between five groupings of Belmont regions.
The competition was comprised of three parts: a resident recipe contest, with submissions prepared jointly by a resident and a chef; a staff recipe contest, in which staff prepared their recipe under the food safety guidelines of their chef; and a final event cook-off contest for chefs, which was held in an outdoor pavilion on the grounds of a designated Belmont Village building and brought competitors from the five regions together in one place. On the day of the competition a panel of judges that included chefs from local restaurants, residents and corporate staff joined residents and their families for the cook- off event, which was made even more special by the addition
of staff and resident decorations. Throughout the campaign the media were continually apprised of the newsworthy elements that abounded.
The campaign was innovative in that it was a multi-building contest that required collaboration and brought together team members and staff from multiple locations. Working together to identify logistics and obstacles, and prepare a strategic plan, involved continual problem solving and joint effort. Through the duration of the campaign, multiple departments found a role for themselves and contributed to the preparation of the contest, which provided a sense of camaraderie.
“I’m grateful for the time I was able to spend with the residents during this experience. I don’t have much exposure to residents in the back of the house and it was great to connect with them throughout the planning process and training leading up to the live competition,” noted a Belmont Village sous chef.
Beyond the feelings of pride and excitement shared by residents and staff, there was also the element and success of extensive media coverage, which reflected a good beginning step in changing perceptions about assisted living – what it is and how it differs from nursing homes.
Community chefs and residents alike joined forces to take part in the Belmont Village Iron Chef cooking competition. 36 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
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