Brad Roth, Shaker Pointe’s Dining Manager gives a demonstration on making fresh pasta.
Food for Thought
When people gather and share a meal together it’s a time for all to take a moment and hit pause on the day. A meal shared gives us time to catch up and put aside the things happening in all of our lives. Enjoying something new or savoring an old favorite can transport the diner to another time and place. For Brad, it was the creativity and the challenge of food service that drew him into his current role as Dining Manager at Shaker Pointe. Brad Roth first felt the pull to culinary arts at a young age. Growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he remembers his mother as a great cook, always preparing meals for the family. Her home-cooked meals drew the family together each night around the dinner table. Looking back, he recalls high school being the time he recognized his interest in food. He sites his drive for needing a creative outlet as the motivating factor behind his culinary background. This realization led him on a journey toward becoming a Certified Executive Chef, educator, and Dietary Manager. In the early years of his career, Brad applied his culinary talents to working in resorts, country clubs, and hotels. His introduction to senior dining came in setting up the dining program at The Glen at Highland Meadows in Glens Falls, New York 15 years ago. The distinction and tradition of the program is still being followed today, the principals of which are now being transferred into dining at Shaker Pointe. In March of this year, Brad first began working as the Dining Manager at Shaker Pointe, the rest as they say, is history.
Brad demonstrates recipes for cooking with free-range eggs.
Serving Shaker Pointe
When asked what he enjoys most about working at a community like Shaker Pointe, Brad shared, “I enjoy that every day is a little bit different, a chance to be creative, a challenge.” Brad went on to explain that Shaker Pointe is unique in the level of resident involvement, explaining, “Here, residents have the choice of where they eat and how often.” Brad’s job as Dining Manager is to provide the food and the choice to match. He states, “My goal is always to ensure that we are providing quality food.”
At Shaker Pointe there are three distinct dining venues, each unique in the offerings and atmosphere. Residents have the choice of signing up for a meal plan or paying a la carte. In Resident Dining, the tables are more formal, set each day with cloth napkins and silverware. The Bistro at Shaker Pointe provides a variety of grab and go breakfast and lunch options and the Restaurant at The Pointe is open to the public for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday boasting delicious chef creations. Having a choice is clearly a distinction enjoyed by the residents at Shaker Pointe.
Dinner options in Resident Dining feature a lighter soup and salad bar option, chef demonstrated cooking, and an elegant Chef’s table evening once a month. Other enhancements include lower sodium options, vegetarian options always available, and offering a higher end menu item every evening. Diners have the option of lobster and beef tenderloin or a salad with seasonal toppings paired with a summer soup. There is always something for everyone when choosing to dine at Shaker Pointe, and new experiences and tastes to be had any day of the week.
The Shaker Pointe salad bar in Resident Dining