Thirwood Place News: What Have Our Residents Cooked Up?

Recipes are a special thing whether you cook or not. Families hold onto recipes throughout multiple generations. They’re sentimental and bring about wonderful memories. Whether the aromas bring you back to childhood or the taste reminds you of a special holiday spent with loved ones, recipes are a form of connection. You and your friend might both bake banana bread. One is never going to be the same as the other. Maybe you add chocolate chips because that’s how your mother always made it, while your friend sticks to her great grandmother’s recipe. You might not be able to explain why you make it that way either: it just makes sense to you because of the personal nature of a recipe.

At Thirwood Place, good food is important. And Executive Chef John Payne, Food and Beverage Manager Monique Andrade, and the entire kitchen and dining room staff understand this importance.  On a given day, if you ask Monique what a certain resident drinks with their dinner, she would be able to tell you without even thinking about it. The Thirwood Place team understands that Thirwood is home to our residents. Home is where you eat your dinner the way you like it, and we ensure that everyone who lives here can communicate their dietary needs and culinary preferences. We even have a food committee, where resident representatives share their likes and dislikes.

As you may imagine, the residents of Thirwood Place also have a collection of their own recipes. That’s why our Food Committee partnered with our team in the main office to create Stirred with Memories: Resident Recipes. It’s the first Thirwood Place cookbook and is filled with culinary creations that are personal and carry fond memories.

What started as a fun idea turned into a huge and exciting project; there were so many submissions that the Desserts needed sub-categories. In addition to desserts, we included soups, salads, apps, entrees, Thanksgiving favorites, and breads. Some residents added personal notes to tell the story behind the recipe as well. The best part of this project was seeing the excitement it brought to Thirwood Place! Sharing a recipe is the same as sharing a memory, and this building is filled with them.