Menus incorporate residents’ feedback, thanks to food committees
Kristian Partington

Each community within Schlegel Villages is a unique entity filled with people of varying backgrounds and experiences, and one of the ways that diversity is honoured in village life is through the efforts of the hardworking teams in kitchens and dining rooms.

The kitchen is often considered the heart of any home, and mealtimes are an important focal point of daily life. Glendale Crossing food services director Cindy Awde works hard to ensure residents’ dining experiences are good ones, and part of that work entails meeting regularly with a cross-section of residents to gather feedback on dining in the village.

Cindy explains that each village has its own food committee allowing food directors to tailor menus to the specific wishes of residents. At Glendale Crossing, she’s noticed broader representation from across the village since changing the timing of food committee meetings to follow residents’ council meetings.

Feedback from food committees is an important part of ensuring residents’ choices inform menu development in all the villages, Cindy says, noting that one size doesn’t always fit all when it comes to each village.

“Here they like their meat, potatoes and vegetables; they like their comfort foods,” she says, adding that other villages where residents represent a more diverse range of ethnic backgrounds will have menus that honour different cultural comfort foods.

Naturally, it can be hard to please everyone, but the committee helps Cindy and her food services team do the best it can.

“With 192 people to serve, I can’t provide everyone with their favourite meal, but we try to incorporate things as much as possible.”

Another practical application of the food committee is how it helps the village minimize waste.

Cindy points out that most residents come from a generation that hates the idea of wasting food — during the Depression or when families tightened belts during the Second World War, people didn’t throw food away.

“We’re monitoring down in the kitchen and if something’s being thrown away a lot, I bring it to food committee and say, ‘this is what’s happening. Is it that it’s on the menu with something else you really like, or is it the fact that we need to change it,’” Cindy says.

We’d love to hear feedback on this or any other article in the Village Voice. Feel free to contact 800-294-0051, ext. 24, or e-mail kristian(at)axiomnews.ca to share comments or questions.