Fall 2011 - Presbyterian Homes & Services

Sue Vue prepares opo squash for Hmong cuisine. Fresh
ingredients are used regularly in the commissary kitchen.
Al Roettger, Senior Dining Choices Volunteer (right),
serves a hot meal to Helen Low, home-delivered meal
program participant.
The commissary kitchen main cooking area where staff
prepare up to 3,000 meals daily.
The $3 million kitchen is outfitted with
state-of-the-art equipment, including
multi-rack ovens, 200 gallon kettles, and
large walk-in refrigerators and freezers
that allow four cooks to produce high
volumes of food in a shorter amount of
time than before. Specialty equipment
accommodates techniques used for
Native American, Cambodian, Russian,
Vietnamese, Hmong, Lao, Somali, Karen
and Latino-style meals. A cook-chill system
cooks meal components until almost
done, then rapidly chills for storage until
needed. Cooking 200 gallons of soup made
from fresh ingredients, or 1,000 pounds
of meat in one batch creates an economy
of scale. “This helps us keeps meals
affordable for seniors of all income levels,”
said Hagstrom. Ninety percent of those
participating in the program live on low or
very low income.
Ekiyor and her staff see their work through
the lens of PHS’ vision to provide more
choices for older adults. “We do our best
to live up to our name, Senior Dining
Choices,” she said. She and her staff strive
to overcome the monotony so often found
in institutional food. “People eat with their
eyes before they eat with their mouths.
How food looks is as important to us as
how it tastes.” Ekiyor knows her crew
understands and demonstrates the PHS
mission. “It’s like we’re cooking for our
family at home. We want our meals to be
that good.”
To move meals out of the kitchen and
into the community, staff drivers begin
departing from the kitchen loading dock
at 4:00 a.m. and continue throughout the
afternoon. Components for hot meals
are delivered to be served in the dining
rooms and for hot-meal home delivery.
Meanwhile, frozen entrees are dropped
at local pick-up centers where staff and
volunteers load up and carry out to
individual homes.
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FALL 2011