Reserved Dinner James King Home and Ten Twenty Grove

We had Chef Brian Kempf's first reserve dinner at James King Home and Ten Twenty Grove on Friday, November 18th. Chef Brian and his head cook, Gabriel presented a 5 course meal with wine pairings in our Huss Gallery for a record high 17 people!

The night started out with a luxurious Lobster Bisque Made Fresh in House, which we paired with our House Chardonnay.

Second course was a Tomato & Hand-Made Mozzarella Salad

Tomatoes were marinated in a balsamic reduction while cucumbers were marinated in a basil oil!

Paired with a 2014 Pinot Noir from Lynfred Winery in Roselle, IL

Third course was Scallops 5 Ways

The different scallops were; Seared with Fruit Salsa, Poached on top of Gazpacho, Scallop Wellington, Bacon Wrapped, and Lemon Butter Poached.

Paired with a 2012 Riesling from Lynfred Winery in Roselle, IL

Fourth Course was Seared Duck Breast with Lavender Honey

Duck was expertly prepared with a lavender honey glaze, balsamic reduction and served with purple potato & roasted golden beet.

Paired with a 2013 Cabernet Franc from Lynfred Winery in Roselle, IL

Fifth course was Trio of Dessert

Prepared by our in-house pastry cook; Chocolate Cake, Blueberry Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Crème Brule.

Paired with our house Champagne

All the residents left feeling full with big smiles on their faces and have already started asking when the next dinner will be. I have to thank my amazing team for all their hard work and dedication to James King Home and Ten Twenty Grove!

Brian Kempf | Chef Manager | James King Home & Ten Twenty Grove

Christmas at the Moorings

This December at the Moorings we welcomed two new Sous Chefs to our MCL team, Eric Ofenloch and David Warner and wanted to go a different direction with our Holiday offerings. The Chefs served:

For Christmas Eve

-Pan roasted duck breast with Champagne-orange glaze, bacon roasted Brussels sprouts and potato latkes with sour cream 

-Slow braised garlic and sage pork lollipop with Winter root vegetables and sweet potato gratin

For Christmas Day

-Fresh pan seared U10 sea scallops with a saffron cream sauce, forbidden rice and broccolini

-Cabernet braised boneless beef short rib with rainbow carrots and smoked gouda mash

We had great feedback from our residents and it was a nice introduction to our new Chefs.

Christopher Moore

System Executive Chef-

Presbyterian Homes

Westminster Place

Cedars of Dexter: Something light on the day after Thanksgiving!

So on the day after, and we are still feeling the effects of turkey and stuffing. So we featured something lighter at the Cedars of Dexter!

Pan Seared Scallops with sesame oil, house grown chives, black sesame seeds and a bok choy slaw.

Caleb L Cook | Chef Director | Morrison Community Living  | The Cedars of Dexter 

Reserve Dinner at the Cedars of Dexter

mise-en-bouche

Michigan Shrimp Bruschetta

with roasted shallots, leeks and fresh thyme

The Shrimp Farm Market - Okemos, Michigan

Avalon Bakery – Detroit, Michigan

hors d'œuvre

Heirloom Tomato Basil Bisque

with basil cream and  roast garlic croutons

Skinny Farm – Scio, Michigan

Guernsey Dairy – Northville, Michigan

Dexter Bakery - Dexter, Michigan

salade

Kale and Apple Salad

with toasted walnuts, goat cheese and apple cider vinaigrette

Skinny Farm – Scio, Michigan

Guernsey Dairy – Northville, Michigan

Jack Brown Produce - Sparta, Michigan

Dexter Cider Mill - Dexter Michigan

entrée

Wild Mushroom Ravioli

with a warm rosemary garlic vinaigrette, roasted peppers and shaved parmesan

Earthly Delights – Okemos, Michigan

Skinny Farm – Scio, Michigan

Guernsey Dairy – Northville, Michigan

plat-principal

Seared Heritage Pork Medallions

with fresh sage and Traverse City cherry chutney

Skinny Farm – Scio, Michigan

Guernsey Dairy – Northville, Michigan

DeVries Meats, Coopersville, Michigan

fromage

Michigan Cheeses

With poached pear and  cranberry compote

Jenny's Farm Market – Dexter, Michigan

Williams Cheese Co. – Linwood, Michigan

Reny Picot - Benton Harbor, Michigan

Grassfields Organic Cheeses - Coopersville, Michigan. Grass fed cows on a homestead farm that has been operated by the same family since 1889.

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie

with chantilly cream and toasted hazelnut brittle

Guernsey Dairy – Northville, Michigan

Coffee / Tea & Chocolate

Motor City Blend Coffee

Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company – Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Yunnan Gold or Creamy Earl Grey Tea

Light of Day Organics – Traverse City, Michigan Grown and blended in Traverse City

Blueberry Chocolate Discs

Chocolate Fruit Crèmes

Mindo – Dexter, Michigan The first chocolate producer in Michigan processing from raw coco nibs.

Champagne Chocolates – Mount Clemens, Michigan

Part of the fun and challenge was not only finding all of the products made in Michigan, but finding them currently for sale, some of them are not readily available in markets, I had to research online and then shop by mail or directly go to the shop.

Caleb L Cook | Chef Director | Morrison Community Living  | The Cedars of Dexter

Savor September Fundraiser Event

On September 11th we hosted our "Savor September" fundraiser event.

Morrison Community Living has partnered with the Geneva Foundation, the charitable arm of Presbyterian Homes to host a garden party on Friday, September 11^th titled, “Savor September.” Morrison Community Living is providing a chef’s cooking competition as the entertainment, and it promises to be a wonderful event; there won’t be any yelling like in the show the Iron Chef but cooking under pressure nonetheless!

And, It’s not just any garden party or chef cook off; the event is also going to be highlighting the opportunity to bring farm fresh foods right here from our local Chicago and suburban area. Even the bar will be stocked with wines and locally brewed craft beers. 

All proceeds for the “Savor September” event will benefit the charitable mission of the Geneva Foundation of Presbyterian Homes which helps to provide residential care and services to older adults, who through no fault of their own, become financially vulnerable. 

The “Savor September” garden party will be held in the Huss Garden of the Presbyterian Homes campus in Evanston, Illinois.  I will be very grateful if you help the Geneva Foundation with a food donation towards the event.  All food will be used by our chefs in the competition and/or be combined to create to raffle prizes to raise additional resources.  All donors will be recognized in the program and in the menu.  Please be as generous as possible.

To enhance the farm to table look we had special charcoal chef coats donated from Chefworks with the event logo and MCL logo. The event began at 6:00 p.m with passed appetizers and a signature cocktail from the bar.

Appetizers included apple brined pork belly and yellow watermelon canapé, Asian duck wonton with cabbage slaw, and heirloom tomato gazpacho with American crawfish. 

They were made by Executive Chef Joe Martinez of the James King Home and Sous Chef Patrick Cleope of Lake Forest Place.

At 6:45 the chefs kicked off the main event with their Summer dishes.

Sous Chef Kyle Bulfer of Westminster Place prepared Nueskie's bacon wrapped quail breast with a fresh peach and Southern Comfort sauce with crisped local kale.

Executive Chef Robert MacClure of Lake Forest Place displayed crispy skin Lake Superior Walleye with carrot puree and a poached morel mushroom.

Executive Chef Silas Pinto prepared a Spanish soffrito marinated lamb lollipop with local Carmen pepper romesco and a creamy polenta cake.

I prepared a coffee rubbed dry aged strip steak with prosciutto wrapped heirloom tomato and a golden-candy stripe beet terrine with buttermilk blue cheese

To end the event on a sweet note-

Executive Chef Davis Knight of Central Baptist Village prepared a trio of sweets. Apple-apricot tarts, clotted cream and dark chocolate ganache parfaits, and English sticky toffee pudding.

Guests were encouraged to vote on their favorite bite so a winner could be chosen.  Chef Silas took the night with his lamb dish. 

The event was an incredible success and I believe this could be the start of a tradition. The outdoor event had many moving parts to set up and every department involved was on form.

Thanks to our business partners for their generous donations

Chefworks - chef coats and aprons

TriMark- glass ware, plate ware, disposable plates

Linz- Tomahawk steaks for auction

Supreme Lobster- smoked salmon, caviar assortment for auction

Midwest Foods- fruit and vegetable assortment gift baskets

Christopher Moore

System Executive Chef-

Presbyterian Homes

Westminster Place

Farm to Fork Reserve Dinner

Farm to Fork Dinner

At Lake Forest Place on Saturday August 29th we hosted our chefs table dinner. It was a 8 course "Farm to Fork" themed dinner for 13 residents. We went to the local farmers market Saturday morning and picked out the product we wanted to use. We created our menu based solely on what we purchased at the market. It was an amazing experience creating dishes from the fresh produce. All the produce was sourced from farms no more than 50 mile away and the proteins were no more than 100 miles away. It was a very successful night. Special thanks all the Chefs for making such a memorable night for the residents.  

First Course

Local Cheese's From Decatur Dairy (Broadhead, WI.)

basil farmer, horseradish havarti, basil olive oil asiago, summer sausage (Kettle Range Meat

Co. Burlington, WI)

Second Course

Breakfast for Dinner

farm fresh eggs (B.S.W Farm, Union Grove WI.) vegetable bread crostini and basil pesto

Third Course

Heirloom Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Heirloom Tomatoes (Geneva Lakes Produce, Burlington, WI), with butterkase cheese

(Decatur Dairy, Broadhead, WI.) on House made bread

Fourth Course

Pan Seared Walleye from the Great Lakes

walleye, beluga lentils, heirloom carrot puree (Windy City) , and patty pan squash (Geneva

Lakes Produce, Burlington, WI)

Fifth Course

Yuppie Hill Poultry Stuffed Chicken Breast

chicken breast (Yuppie Hill Poultry Burlington WI) baby spinach (Geneva Lakes Produce,

Burlington, WI) apple wood smoked bacon (Prairie View Farm Burlington WI.), smoked

cheddar cheese,(Decatur Dairy (Broadhead, WI.), jelly beans, Swiss char, radish kale and

purple kohlrabi puree (Geneva Lakes Produce, Burlington, WI)

Sixth Course

Blue Berry, Lavender and Lemon Sorbet

Seventh Course

Red Wine Braised Beef

Angus chuck roast (Bradley Farms, Denmark WI), whipped potatoes, heirloom carrots

(Geneva Lakes Produce, Burlington, WI) in a rich red wine sauce

Eighth Course

Dessert Trio

Warm blue berries and Black Berries, oatmeal crumble, vanilla ice cream chocolate

raspberry truffle and ground cherry tomato

Unique Annual Business Planning at EHM

This year at Evangelical Homes of Michigan - Brecon Village, the team approached the Annual Business Planning session in a unique way.  General Manager, Bridget Wilson, met individually with the key players within the community to obtain their WITY (What's Important to You) information for the upcoming year.  With that information Bridget took it back to the management team to discuss and create the plan for the coming year.  Each manager provided input from their perspective (a diversity and inclusion activity!) on how they could impact the overall plan.

Leading up to the day of the meeting the team put together samples of the improvements made to date within the community in addition to a sample of future programs.  On the day of the ABP meeting, everything came together beautifully - sample menu items from Meeting Well (small portion snacks, granola), a recipe from the new Catch the Wave program, sample blog posts from the previous year, sample promotional calendars, and healthy grains to be added to the menus.

The key players who attended the meeting were impressed by the professionalism, new programs, and thrilled to see the new items implemented over the past year!  The fresh approach was one our client is still talking about and is excited for what is in store for the community!

The Team at Evangelical Homes at Brecon Village

Incognito Dinner at Westminster Place

Last week at Westminster Place we hosted the "Incognito Dinner". The menu was my interpretation of a 1920's dinner party.

First course

Casino Royale- Manila clams, roasted red pepper-saffron broth, prosciutto, and panko-parmesan crisp

 Second course

Green Goddess- Iceberg wedge, lobster-corn salad, basil-mint green goddess

Third course

Dry Aged Chicago Strip Steak- Sea salt dusted center cut strip steak, red onion and stone ground mustard dip, Pommes Pont Neuf with white truffle oil

Fourth course

Strawberry Trifle- Strawberries, vanilla bean custard, pound cake, whipped cream

Legend has it that clams casino was developed in a little casino in Rhode Island in 1917. I chose to use the accepted ingredients and change them slightly with the addition of saffron. Spices were being introduced in the 1920's and the wealthy would like to show off their spices.

It is accepted that green goddess dressing was created at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in 1923 by Chef Philip Roemer who wanted to pay tribute to actor George Arliss and his hit play the "Green Goddess". Ingredients have changed over time with the addition of avocado and other herbs.

The dry aged beef is hung for 28 days at near freezing temperatures with circulating air to develop enzymes that naturally tenderize the beef and intensify the flavor. I would describe it as beef laced with foie gras and a hint of Stilton.  It's delicious.

A special thanks to Chefs Joe Marinez and Patrick Cleope for stopping by to help me plate.

Christopher Moore

System Executive Chef-

Presbyterian Homes

Westminster Place

Contemporary American Cuisine Reserve Dinner at Lake Forest Place

On Friday June 26th Executive Chef Robert MacClure and Sous Chef Patrick Cleope had the privilege of doing our reserve dinner themed as Contemporary American Cuisine. For this intimate dinner the Chefs did 8 course paired with 3 different wines that were hand picked to complement the different courses.  

 SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE

smoke trout blended with cream, horseradish and herbs

 COUNTRY-STYLE PÂTÉ

a blend of chicken, pork, veal, with herbs, spices and cognac

 LOBSTER SHEPHERD'S PIES

lobster, white wine, cream, leeks, mashed potatoes

 LAMB TENDERLOIN

dark cherries in port wine, pickled pearl onions, toasted almond slivers, mint oil

YELLOW BEET SOUP

creamy yellow beets, chicken stock, herbs, diced candy cane beets with micro greens  

LEMON TARRAGON SORBET

FILET MIGNON

beef tenderloin, fig demi-glace , saffron aioli, confit fingerling potatoes, carrot puree

BOURBON BREAD PUDDING

Bourbon macerated berries, mixed berry sauce, bourbon cream

 

Robert MacClure

Executive Chef

Lake Forest Place