KITCHEN TOUR

FOR QUITE SOME TIME, the residents have been stating their wish for a kitchen tour and the activity has been promised, but finding a convenient time when the kitchen staff isn't in the midst of food preparation has been tricky. The first tour was scheduled for today at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.


There had been a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Tea Room, but I had taken so long to add our names that there was barely room at the bottom of the page. Actually, one member of our family had been through the kitchen, but Owen, at the tender age of 3, didn't have the vocabulary to tell us what he had seen. When he visited the Manor over a year ago, he appeared for one of the meals dressed in his Halloween chef costume and Juan had whisked him off to see where the Manor food is prepared.

Today we, along with Tim, were sitting in the Tea Room and Cindy, the Dining Room Supervisor, invited us to join the tour in place of some people who hadn't shown up at the appointed hour.
Lucky us! In trying to keep up with the group, my pauses to use my camera were hurried ones and I captured more blurry images than clear ones, but here's a little of what we experienced.

Cindy began the tour outside of the kitchen, showing
us where beverage orders are filled.

Juan awaited the chance to explain his
work area to us. Everything is kept
sparkling clean.

Cleanliness is maintained to such a high standard 

that when the health inspector makes a surprise 

appearance, Juan isn't the least bit nervous during the inspection.

Cindy pointed out the different cutting boards, color-
coded so that no cross contamination can occur.

Blurry bread, but you can see the variety
that is available at all times.

It would be interesting to know how much ice cream
the residents eat in the course of a day. This much
I know.........it's a lot!

William's tallness comes in handy when there are
things to be stored on tall shelves.

Plenty of pans from which to choose.

Why am I surprised that our crockery is made in
England? Probably because almost everything comes
from China in this day and age.

Cindy ended the tour by answering any questions that arose. She did a fine job of her first kitchen tour and always manages to appear unflappable, regardless of any situation that might arise. As the dining room hostess, she has an uncanny ability to seat people together with kindred souls, all with apparent grace and ease. She's to be admired.

We emerged with a renewed appreciation of what goes into the preparation of our meals here at the Manor and were told that at the peak of serving, as many as 15 of the Food Services crew are in and out of the kitchen. Add to that the fact that the waitresses, along with serving us, are taking care of the residents' needs up to and including retrieving the walkers that are hidden away in a closet until each resident is ready to leave the dining table. They do a remarkable job.