Crafting Meals That Feel Like Home: Chef Michelle Moore Receives Atria’s FLAME Award

Summary

Great senior living dining starts with listening. Learn how Michelle Moore meets dietary needs and creates meals residents look forward to at Holiday Alexis Gardens.

Executive Chef Michelle Moore thinks about her work at Holiday Alexis Gardens as a way to make a community she loves even better. She’s not cooking for just any senior living dining room. She’s cooking for people who, some days, won’t eat anywhere else.

“I try to always remember that some of our residents will spend all their mealtimes in my dining room,” she says thoughtfully. “Because of that, I need to make sure that every meal is the highest quality possible and with a variety of great flavors. Keeping in mind what dishes residents love is so important.”

For many older adults, meals are about more than food. They’re a familiar part of the day and an important opportunity for connection. At Holiday Alexis Gardens, an independent living community in Toledo, Ohio, Chef Moore’s mindset of care earned her a FLAME Award this year. The award is Atria Senior Living’s recognition for regional culinary excellence.

What kind of culinary experience do senior living chefs bring to their communities?

Chef Moore brings a diverse and impressive range of culinary experience. She’s been in the food industry since she was fourteen years old. She started waiting tables, moved into cocktail service and eventually found herself pulled toward behind-the-scenes kitchen work. Working at a high-end seafood restaurant where “whole grouper arrived fresh each day,” Chef Moore realized her culinary calling.

“I found it completely fascinating,” she recalls. “And I continued to learn as much as I could over the years.”

She explored the worlds of fine dining, Asian cuisines and Mediterranean dishes. She brought those skills to Holiday Alexis Gardens in 2018.

Now, as Executive Chef, she prepares moussaka alongside shrimp lo mein, fresh tortilla taco salads next to beef enchiladas and classic comfort food. She leaves her residents smiling again and again.

How does senior living dining meet dietary needs?

At Holiday Alexis Gardens, two of the most common dietary considerations involve vegetarian residents and Muslim residents. For the latter, pork – and anything prepared in contact with it – is off the table. It’s one more example of how much Chef Moore cares about residents. Rather than building workarounds, she plans menus so that at least one option works for everyone.

Here are a few ways Holiday Alexis Gardens in Toledo meets different dietary needs:

• A menu anchor that vegetarians and those avoiding pork can rely on
• Vegetarian pizza as a recurring staple, meeting many different needs at once
• Personalized preparation for individual needs, including single portions made without specific allergens

Chef Moore understands that taking dietary needs and restrictions seriously helps residents feel respected.

“It makes them feel important. Feel special. That’s what we’re here for.”

How does senior living help residents feel at home?

There’s one kind of feedback Chef Moore values most. It doesn’t come from a survey or satisfaction score. It comes when a resident tells her that the food reminded them of their own family’s kitchen, or a Sunday meal from years ago.

“When a resident says, ‘This meal tastes like I’m at home,’ that is the best compliment you can get working in a community like this,” she says with a smile. “We want our residents to be at home here.”

She traces that back to her own upbringing. She was raised in a large family, with a focus on holiday meals and generations of bakers and home cooks. Chef Moore shows great food can bring people together.

What is the FLAME Award, and how is it earned?

The FLAME Award recognizes culinary excellence across Atria Senior Living communities. Winners are chosen based on resident satisfaction surveys and quality scores. It reflects the judgment of the people eating the food, not an internal panel.

Chef Moore was on a routine call when the winners were announced. She heard her name and wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly.

“I had to do a double take. I thought, ‘Did I hear it right? Did they just say my name?’”

Then the significance of the award sank in.

“When you’re doing this kind of work, it’s such an honor because you feel that sense of accomplishment that we all want. I know I’m really making a difference for our residents. And that’s most important to me.”

See what’s waiting for you at Holiday Alexis Gardens

Chef Moore brings a lifetime of experience. She’s built her kitchen around food that residents want. She measures her success by whether the food feels like home.

That’s what you’ll find at Holiday Alexis Gardens and at Atria communities across the country. If you’re exploring senior living in Toledo, come see what dining is like here.