[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fyJDbKPEv6bzS030W12Rsj6NYTAVtGtdNQ5B0SUKc-ZI":3},{"data":4,"headers":621},{"brand":5,"route":6,"title":7,"seo":8,"components":20,"pageMeta":448,"dataSources":462},"holiday","\u002Fretirement-guide\u002Fthe-holiday-difference\u002Ffrom-basic-guacamole-to-the-flame-award-how-chef-fahim-found-his-calling-at-holiday","From Basic Guacamole to the FLAME Award: How Chef Fahim Found His Calling at Holiday",{"_uid":9,"title":10,"ogType":11,"robots":12,"schema":13,"ogTitle":10,"ogLocale":14,"component":15,"description":16,"twitterCard":17,"ogDescription":16,"geo.position":18,"geo.placename":18,"geo.region":19},"08b5b1d4-0944-41ce-bdf7-b0b7ad86b132","Award-Winning Senior Living Dining | Holiday Briarcrest Estates","website","index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1","{\n  \"@context\": \"http:\u002F\u002Fschema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"Article\",\n  \"name\": \"From Basic Guacamole to the FLAME Award: How Chef Fahim Found His Calling at Holiday\",\n  \"headline\": \"From Basic Guacamole to the FLAME Award: How Chef Fahim Found His Calling at Holiday\",\n  \"datePublished\": \"2025-06-04\",\n  \"image\": \"https:\u002F\u002Fa-us.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F1018269\u002F1200x626\u002F736e8a031b\u002Fccom-14596-flame-cheffahim-hba-blog-header.jpg\",\n  \"description\": \"Chef Fahim builds dining around the people he serves.\",\n\"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Will Simpson\",\n    \"url\": \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.holidayseniorliving.com\u002Fretirement-guide\u002Fauthors\u002Fwill-simpson\",\n    \"jobTitle\": \"Staff Writer\"\n},\n  \"articleBody\": \"Summary After discovering a passion for cooking, Chef Fahim built a career creating meals residents love at Holiday Briarcrest Estates. His dedication to quality, resident feedback and dietary needs recently earned him a FLAME Award. It started with a bowl of guacamole. Chef Fahim K. was home alone in New York, noticed some avocados going soft, found an online video and tried his hand at making guacamole. When his wife came home and finished every bite, she put down the bowl and told him he had to go to culinary school. “That’s how actually, literally, it started,” Chef Fahim recalls. That moment in 2011 set Chef Fahim on a journey that led to Le Cordon Bleu culinary institute, nearly eight years at Holiday Briarcrest Estates and, this year, an Atria FLAME Award. This prestigious award recognizes chefs whose commitment to quality and resident satisfaction sets them apart. What makes senior living dining at Holiday unique? Chef Fahim trained in classical French technique, but his food doesn’t stay in one lane. He blends in a South Asian sensibility wherever it fits. “In my culture, we don’t use stock. We use the actual bone-in product. Using bone-in chicken or bone-in beef naturally creates a stock. That’s kind of my technique,” he explains. The delicious results speak for themselves. His barbecue meatloaf has become a signature at the community. A baked flounder with orange glaze drew multiple residents to the kitchen door to ask him to make it again. When something works at Holiday Briarcrest Estates, Chef Fahim hears about it directly. Does Holiday accommodate residents with dietary restrictions? Chef Fahim has pescatarian residents, and he builds menu items that are specifically designed for them. He runs at least one fish option most days each week. Also, he keeps two vegetable options available daily so there is always a real choice for vegetarian residents. The dietary needs of the community are at the forefront of his mind, not an afterthought. A few items that have become staples for those with dietary needs include: Eggplant Parmesan – one of the most requested dishes in the community Vegetable lasagna – a regular on the menu Shrimp and grits “Seven days a week we have options that are either a fish-based or vegetable-based complete meal,” Chef Fahim notes. Will the chef actually know my family member? Part of the Holiday culture is known as “table touching,” a practice where the chef comes to the dining room to check in after a meal. For Chef Fahim, these conversations are not a formality. “When a resident tells me, ‘Oh Fahim, this is the best meal I’ve ever had,’ that motivates me so much. It is such an honor when that compliment comes from a person who has traveled the world and tasted many kinds of food,” he says. Chef Fahim gets to know the community members and hear about their families’ food traditions. Several residents at Holiday Briarcrest Estates have shared family recipes with him. When the ingredients allow it, those recipes make it onto the menu. Recently, he prepared a carrot cake for lunch that was made from a resident’s own family recipe. What is Atria’s FLAME Award and what does it mean? The FLAME Award is presented to chefs whose communities consistently earn high marks for dining from residents. It is awarded based on quality survey scores and resident satisfaction over time. To secure this honor, residents in a chef’s community must express their feelings that the dining is consistently excellent, time and time again. For Chef Fahim, the timing of the award could not have been better. His team had spent over a month cooking without a working walk-in freezer – running a remote unit parked outside the building – while simultaneously dealing with a weeks-long elevator renovation. “The award came at the right moment. It was very, very rewarding to feel like people see your hard work and know that your work is good,” he smiles. The chef was also quick to spread the credit. “I wouldn’t even have this award without my kitchen team,” he emphasizes. “I want to give them the credit also.” Come see what’s on the menu Chef Fahim’s story reflects what Holiday senior living communities are built on: people who love the work of senior care, who bring real skill and who measure success one meal at a time. If you’re exploring senior living in the Ballwin, Chesterfield or St. Louis area, visit Holiday Briarcrest Estates, meet the team and experience the community’s award-winning dining for yourself.\",\n  \"url\": \"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.holidayseniorliving.com\u002Fretirement-guide\u002Fthe-holiday-difference\u002Ffrom-basic-guacamole-to-the-flame-award-how-chef-fahim-found-his-calling-at-holiday\"\n}","en_US","seo-fields","Meet the FLAME Award-winning chef behind senior living dining at Holiday Briarcrest Estates in Chesterfield, Missouri.","summary_large_image","","United States (US)",[21,225,274,278,294,308,314,326,360,393],{"componentName":22,"props":23},"BrandNavigation",{"facCtaText":24,"keyMarkets":25,"companyLogo":117,"facLocation":125,"brandNavLinks":126,"topOffset":206,"facPlaceholder":207,"companyNavLinks":208,"findCommunityCopy":224},"Search 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Community",{"componentName":226,"props":227},"ExitIntentModal",{"copy":228,"image":229,"title":232,"newTab":233,"ctaIcon":18,"ctaLink":18,"ctaText":234,"titleTag":235,"htmlBlock":18,"isDarkMode":233,"titleStyle":236,"ctaButtonRole":237,"emailHelpText":238,"textColorRole":239,"emailErrorText":240,"offerSelection":241,"idleSeconds":242,"slide_one_title":243,"slide_two_title":244,"titleStyleLevel":245,"emailSignUpLabel":246,"slide_four_title":247,"mousePosition":248,"notInterestedCopy":249,"slide_one_ctaText":250,"slide_three_title":251,"slide_two_ctaText":250,"slide_four_ctaText":252,"slide_one_preamble":253,"slide_two_preamble":18,"smtFormCommunityId":18,"backgroundColorRole":254,"emailSuccessMessage":255,"exitIntentDelay":256,"slide_three_ctaText":250,"slide_one_date_label":257,"slide_one_time_label":258,"slide_three_preamble":259,"slide_three_email_label":260,"slide_three_phone_label":261,"slide_one_date_errorText":262,"slide_one_time_errorText":263,"slide_two_lastName_label":264,"slide_four_successMessage":265,"slide_one_date_helperText":266,"slide_one_time_helperText":18,"slide_two_firstName_label":267,"slide_three_phone_optional":124,"slide_three_email_errorText":268,"slide_three_phone_errorText":269,"slide_three_email_helperText":270,"slide_three_phone_helperText":270,"slide_two_lastName_errorText":271,"slide_four_successMessageCopy":272,"slide_two_firstName_errorText":273,"slide_two_lastName_helperText":270,"slide_two_firstName_helperText":270},"Receive senior living resources, event invites and more!",{"id":230,"alt":230,"name":18,"focus":230,"title":230,"source":18,"filename":18,"copyright":230,"fieldtype":122,"meta_data":231,"description":18},null,{},"Sign up for our newsletter",true,"Submit","h4","4","utility","*Required","white","Must enter a valid email address","emailSignUp",120,"Schedule A Tour","First and Last Name","3","Email*","Your Tour is Scheduled!",10,"No thanks, I'm not interested","Next","Confirm Your Tour","Close","Who is scheduling this tour?","secondary","You are successfully subscribed! Look for your first email in your inbox soon!",30,"Choose a date","Choose a time","We'll contact you with your tour details.","Email Address","Phone Number","Please select a date","Please select a time","Last Name","A community manager will be in touch with you shortly.","Don't worry, you can change this later.","First Name","Please enter a valid email address.","Please enter your 10-digit phone number.","* Required Field","Last Name is required.","We've sent you a confirmation e-mail. If you have questions or want to make changes to your request, give us a call at ","First Name is required.",{"componentName":275,"props":276},"GlobalSpacer",{"background":254,"customHeight":206,"customMobileHeight":277},100,{"componentName":279,"props":280},"ContentHubArticleHero",{"topLine":124,"className":18,"topMargin":124,"bottomLine":124,"topPadding":124,"authorBlock":281,"componentId":18,"bottomMargin":124,"allowMaxWidth":124,"bottomPadding":124,"lastUpdatedCopy":293,"transparentBackground":124,"extraContainerClassName":18},[282],{"copy":283,"image":284,"newTab":233,"ctaLink":290,"ctaText":291,"topLine":124,"className":18,"component":292,"topMargin":124,"bottomLine":124,"topPadding":124,"componentId":18,"contentType":18,"bottomMargin":124,"allowMaxWidth":124,"bottomPadding":124,"additionalCopy":18,"additionalNewTab":124,"transparentBackground":124,"extraContainerClassName":18},"Written by Will Simpson",{"id":285,"alt":286,"name":18,"focus":18,"title":18,"source":287,"filename":288,"copyright":18,"fieldtype":122,"meta_data":289,"is_external_url":124,"description":18},176162647193822,"A smiling man with a beard and clear glasses against a plain blue background.","https:\u002F\u002Fik.imagekit.io\u002Fzcfjs0rmjr\u002Ff\u002F1018269\u002F1008x1008\u002F5f4fb5fce6\u002Fwill-simpson-updated.png","https:\u002F\u002Fa-us.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F1018269\u002F1008x1008\u002F5f4fb5fce6\u002Fwill-simpson-updated.png",{"alt":286,"title":18,"source":18,"copyright":18},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.holidayseniorliving.com\u002Fretirement-guide\u002Fauthors\u002Fwill-simpson","Meet the writer","ContentHubArticleAuthor","Last Updated",{"componentName":295,"props":296},"ContentHubArticleBody",{"topLine":124,"className":18,"topMargin":124,"bottomLine":124,"topPadding":233,"componentId":18,"bottomMargin":233,"cardLinkText":297,"nextPostCopy":298,"allowMaxWidth":124,"bottomPadding":124,"articleContent":299,"watchVideoCopy":300,"emailSignupCopy":301,"readArticleCopy":297,"nextPostHeaderTag":302,"emailSignUpCtaText":303,"recommendationCopy":304,"transparentBackground":124,"emailSignUpSuccessTitle":305,"extraContainerClassName":18,"recommendationHeaderTag":302,"nextPostHeaderStyleLevel":306,"emailSignUpSuccessMessage":307,"recommendationHeaderStyleLevel":306},"Read the article","Up next","\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-primary\" style=\"text-align: justify; padding-left: 75px;\">\u003Cb>Summary\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-primary has-text-holiday-neutral-dark\" style=\"padding-left: 75px\">\u003Cem>After discovering a passion for cooking, Chef Fahim built a career creating meals residents love at Holiday Briarcrest Estates. His dedication to quality, resident feedback and dietary needs recently earned him a FLAME Award.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">It started with a bowl of guacamole. Chef Fahim K. was home alone in New York, noticed some avocados going soft, found an online video and tried his hand at making guacamole. When his wife came home and finished every bite, she put down the bowl and told him he had to go to culinary school. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">“That’s how actually, literally, it started,” Chef Fahim recalls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">That moment in 2011 set Chef Fahim on a journey that led to Le Cordon Bleu culinary institute, nearly eight years at \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.holidayseniorliving.com\u002Fretirement-communities\u002Fholiday-briarcrest-estates-ballwin-mo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link has-text-holiday-content-hub-the-holiday-difference link--is-font-secondary link--is-small\">Holiday Briarcrest Estates\u003C\u002Fa> and, this year, an Atria FLAME Award. This prestigious award recognizes chefs whose commitment to quality and resident satisfaction sets them apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\n\u003Ch2 class=\"heading heading--is-level-2 spacing spacing--is-pb-xsmall\">What makes senior living dining at Holiday unique?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Chef Fahim trained in classical French technique, but his food doesn’t stay in one lane. He blends in a South Asian sensibility wherever it fits. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">“In my culture, we don’t use stock. We use the actual bone-in product. Using bone-in chicken or bone-in beef naturally creates a stock. That’s kind of my technique,” he explains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">The delicious results speak for themselves. His barbecue meatloaf has become a signature at the community. A baked flounder with orange glaze drew multiple residents to the kitchen door to ask him to make it again. When something works at Holiday Briarcrest Estates, Chef Fahim hears about it directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Ch2 class=\"heading heading--is-level-2 spacing spacing--is-pb-xsmall\">Does Holiday accommodate residents with dietary restrictions?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Chef Fahim has pescatarian residents, and he builds menu items that are specifically designed for them. He runs at least one fish option most days each week. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Also, he keeps two vegetable options available daily so there is always a real choice for vegetarian residents. The dietary needs of the community are at the forefront of his mind, not an afterthought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">A few items that have become staples for those with dietary needs include:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul class=\"bullet-list\">\n\u003Cli class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Eggplant Parmesan – one of the most requested dishes in the community\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Vegetable lasagna – a regular on the menu\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Shrimp and grits\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">“Seven days a week we have options that are either a fish-based or vegetable-based complete meal,” Chef Fahim notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\n\u003Ch2 class=\"heading heading--is-level-2 spacing spacing--is-pb-xsmall\">Will the chef actually know my family member?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Part of the Holiday culture is known as “table touching,” a practice where the chef comes to the dining room to check in after a meal. For Chef Fahim, these conversations are not a formality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">“When a resident tells me, ‘Oh Fahim, this is the best meal I’ve ever had,’ that motivates me so much. It is such an honor when that compliment comes from a person who has traveled the world and tasted many kinds of food,” he says.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Chef Fahim gets to know the community members and hear about their families’ food traditions. Several residents at Holiday Briarcrest Estates have shared family recipes with him. When the ingredients allow it, those recipes make it onto the menu. Recently, he prepared a carrot cake for lunch that was made from a resident’s own family recipe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\n\u003Ch2 class=\"heading heading--is-level-2 spacing spacing--is-pb-xsmall\">What is Atria’s FLAME Award and what does it mean?\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">The FLAME Award is presented to chefs whose communities consistently earn high marks for dining from residents. It is awarded based on quality survey scores and resident satisfaction over time. To secure this honor, residents in a chef’s community must express their feelings that the dining is consistently excellent, time and time again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">For Chef Fahim, the timing of the award could not have been better. His team had spent over a month cooking without a working walk-in freezer – running a remote unit parked outside the building – while simultaneously dealing with a weeks-long elevator renovation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">“The award came at the right moment. It was very, very rewarding to feel like people see your hard work and know that your work is good,” he smiles. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">The chef was also quick to spread the credit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">“I wouldn’t even have this award without my kitchen team,” he emphasizes. “I want to give them the credit also.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>\n\u003Ch2 class=\"heading heading--is-level-2 spacing spacing--is-pb-xsmall\">Come see what’s on the menu\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">Chef Fahim’s story reflects what Holiday senior living communities are built on: people who love the work of senior care, who bring real skill and who measure success one meal at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cbr>\n\u003Cp class=\"copy copy--is-font-secondary\">If you’re exploring senior living in the Ballwin, Chesterfield or St. Louis area, visit \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.holidayseniorliving.com\u002Fretirement-communities\u002Fholiday-briarcrest-estates-ballwin-mo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link has-text-holiday-content-hub-the-holiday-difference link--is-font-secondary link--is-small\">Holiday Briarcrest Estates\u003C\u002Fa>, meet the team and experience the community’s award-winning dining for yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>","Watch the video","Want to learn more about life at Holiday?","h2","Sign Up","You might also like","Thank you for subscribing!","2","You'll receive an email shortly. You can unsubscribe anytime.",{"componentName":309,"props":310},"ContentHubFeaturedContent",{"postId":311,"ctaLink":312,"ctaText":297,"topLine":124,"className":18,"bottomLine":124,"topPadding":124,"componentId":18,"bottomMargin":124,"allowMaxWidth":124,"bottomPadding":124,"hasImageOnLeft":124,"optionalCategory":313,"extraContainerClassName":18},"daeb063f-842a-41ac-987d-82d7a081bf02","\u002Fretirement-guide\u002Fretirement-living\u002Ffinding-the-best-independent-living-community-for-you","holiday-difference",{"componentName":315,"props":316},"ContentHubArticleCardList",{"posts":317,"title":322,"isSmall":233,"postTag":18,"topLine":124,"category":18,"listType":323,"titleTag":302,"className":18,"topMargin":124,"bottomLine":124,"topPadding":124,"componentId":18,"signUpTitle":18,"specialCard":324,"bottomMargin":233,"facCardTitle":18,"allowMaxWidth":124,"bottomPadding":124,"signUpCtaText":18,"enableLoadMore":124,"facCardCtaLink":18,"facCardCtaText":18,"watchVideoCopy":300,"loadMoreCtaText":18,"readArticleCopy":297,"titleStyleLevel":236,"visiblePosts":325,"videoGalleryTitle":202,"articleCardLinkText":297,"signUpThankYouTitle":18,"signUpThankYouMessage":18,"extraContainerClassName":18},[318,319,320,321],"ed282157-69b7-469b-a240-995000d4d04e","8f6d7c7e-0d18-46a4-8f7e-8edd35a5dabf","75720ff8-b7cf-4086-8471-d9e99e48e08d","794029a5-ba2a-4309-80c9-441f7b23283d","Top 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