One of the most important factors of an assisted living community is what’s happening in the kitchen. Highgate at Temecula, an assisted living community located in Temecula, California, takes great pride in the food they’re serving. With a goal of offering high-quality, nutritious and delicious meals for their residents, for Chef Justin Mabunay working at Highgate Senior Living was an obvious choice.
“Our dining program at Temecula assisted living community is trailblazing.” Mabunay’s menu includes 34 items, that are all made to order. Lunch and dinner also offer dining specials for residents to select from. While those special items — often inspired by requests — aren’t available around the clock, the regular menu is. Or at least nearly. Residents can visit the dining room any time they choose between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m and select any item off of the customized Highgate dining menu.
Also unique to the kitchen at Highgate of Temecula is the open kitchen concept. Just like going to a restaurant where you can see the chefs and cooks working diligently before you eyes, Highgate at Temecula has an open kitchen concept that allows residents to see their food being cooked before their very eyes.
Highgate at Temecula Kitchen Fully Equipped to Handle Anything
Highgate’s holistic approach dining program encourages healthful options on the menu, with an eye toward residents’ wellness and longevity. But, is also equipped to cater cater to resident cravings.
“I try to be a ‘yes’ man,” Mabunay says. He’s always willing to accommodate whatever requests he receives, if he has the ingredients and the requester is willing to wait for it. But when he can’t, he’ll try to include it in future specials, when possible. Items like corned beef and cabbage or shepherd’s pie are among those dishes added when residents have a craving for comfort food.
He’s able to do that, he says, thanks to Highgate’s well-equipped kitchens. “Some of the places I previously worked ran the same kind of menu, but with limited equipment. Here I have a rotisserie,” he says, by way of example. “I can put the chickens on the spit on top, and let the drippings spill down onto the potatoes.”
He also excitedly lists other equipment that both makes his job easier and the food tastier. A clay pizza oven. A combination oven that lets him control the humidity in the oven. “I can cook at at lower temperature and still achieve a good mouthfeel,” he says.
The key to running a successful senior living kitchen, Mabunay says, is to understand the residents for whom you’re cooking for. Many of today’s seniors prefer basic meat and potatoes to current trendy or gourmet dishes. “They’re not going to go for that. Knowing the generation you’re cooking for is important.”
Highgate at Temecula assisted living community strives to offer their residents plenty of choices during their dining experience; an experience unlike any other the city of Temecula has seen. From dress your own potato at a potato bar – to afternoon tea, London-Style – these choices allow residents to have a unique and enjoyable dining experience.
