Laurelmead Life September 2021

A Message from the Executive Director

BON APPÉTIT AND BON VOYAGE!

We bid a very fond but bittersweet farewell to Jim Reynolds, who decided to hang up his apron and retire after 23 years of devoted service as Laurelmead’s Executive Chef. Jim brought his love of food and passion for cooking to everything he did. His custom menus covered the entire spectrum. There was fine-dining in the dining room every night, more casual fare in the pub and café, vegetarian choices, Escoffier-inspired dinners for special events, countless cocktail parties and birthday parties, cook-outs and lobster dinners with all the trimmings, festive holiday fare (our New Year’s Eve parties are legendary), cookies and fine pastry – there was no limit to what our talented kitchen staff could produce under Jim’s leadership. “After the residents dined I often checked the salt & pepper shakers on the tables. If they hadn’t been used, I knew we had gotten it just right,” says Jim.

Many thanks to Chef Jim Reynolds for making life at Laurelmead that
much more delicious.

A scrumptious dessert table for our “Alice in Wonderland” themed party.

This cocktail party was a special fundraiser for LEEF, Laurelmead’s employee
scholarship fund.

Many residents have commented that the quality of our dining was a big part of why they chose to live at Laurelmead. “What kept me motivated for all these years? It was fun,” says Jim. “Creating, cooking, seeing the kitchen staff grow, watching the community enjoy the food – that was great fun for me.” We wish Jim a carefree and rewarding retirement. We know his legacy of excellence will continue with our next Executive Chef.

If you have any questions or comments you can contact me here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Artfully Inclined

September brought us another wine & cheese art reception featuring the works of many of our accomplished and talented residents. Here is a sample of what is on display for the next several weeks. As you see, these creations are as unique and diverse as the artists themselves.

“Gallo,” by Nicky Nichtern. “During last winter while we were ‘apartmentalized’ due to the pandemic I did a lot of weeding through files and ended up doing quite a bit of ‘ripped paper’ art – this rooster being one of them. He was created with scraps of papers from earlier days with earlier ‘roosters.'"

“Appearance and Disappearance,” by Margo Rubin.
This piece was created with encaustic, which is hot, pigmented beeswax.
The practice dates back to Fifth-century Greece.

“On the Watch,” by Carolyn Roberts; oil on canvas. “An Irishman sits on the windowsill of a store in County Kerry, watching the tourists walk by while getting caught up on the local news.” (Nice work if you can get it!)

Photographer: Dieter Klein. These were taken in 1997 during an anthropological research trek in the Buddhist Zanskar region of Ladakh, Northern India.