This fall, the culinary team at Tapestry at Arbutus Walk created a special Fall Harvest Dinner to showcase the gastronomic treasures that await seniors who make the move to retirement living at one of our communities. The intimate dinner for 10 was offered to give potential new residents an opportunity to experience “a taste of Tapestry”.

“We have hosted open houses and other large-scale events at the community, but we felt a smaller, more intimate gathering would give prospects a true understanding of our unique and personalized approach to senior living,” says Tiffany Whelan, Director, Sales for Tapestry.

The event took place in the community’s private dining room, which was transformed by Tapestry employees into a beautiful and sophisticated space to set the scene for a magical evening.

Sous Chef Chuck So created the first two courses for the dinner, which included a Foie Gras Croquette garnished with celery “leaves” and Squash Tortellini in a Parmigiano Reggiano Brodo that reflected the warm fall colours of the creatively set table.

Executive Chef Valentino Pereira was responsible for the main course, a delicious Turkey Roulade with Pommes Boulangère, stuffing, buttered vegetables and truffle mushroom gravy with creative garnishes that brought leaves and forest floor moss to mind.

Dessert is always meant to be the delicious finale to a beautiful meal, however Chef Valentino and his team went above and beyond to create a dessert that was just as much an experience as it was an adventure in taste.

The edible forest floor scene included cocoa-based “soil”, matcha sponge cake “moss”, individually painted pumpkin spice flavoured “leaves”, meringue “mushrooms” and apple beignets. The dessert was wheeled into the dining room with dry ice “fog” rising from below and the fresh scent of pine trees.

“The culinary experience is instrumental when selecting a senior living community, and we thought this dinner would be a great opportunity to showcase our culinary talent and passion to prospective residents,” adds Tiffany. “This was, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular dining experiences we have showcased at the community.”

The idea for the dinner was generated together by Tapestry at Arbutus Walk General Manager, Danielle McQueen and Chef Valentino, and was inspired by the changing seasons. “I’m so proud of the team and how this event unfolded,” says Danielle.

Of the 10 people who attended the dinner, several have already made plans to make the move to retirement living at Tapestry. Adds Danielle, “When I was signing the lease with one of the prospects from the dinner, she was sure we had hired a private chef for the event and was shocked that Chef Valentino was a Tapestry employee! She couldn’t believe a retirement community had this type of culinary talent.”

“The culinary team’s passion, innovation and creativity at Arbutus Walk is truly incredible. Their willingness to experiment and push the boundaries of taste and presentation made this meal truly memorable.” says Tiffany. “I worked for more than 22 years in five diamond hotels, and I can honestly say that the dining experience they curated for this event was nothing short of spectacular. Each dish was a work of art, both in presentation and flavour. Our guests were amazed by the presentation, the attention to detail, and the quality and taste of the food,” she adds.

The Fall Harvest Dinner is reflective of the exceptional dining experiences we try to create every day at Tapestry. Our culinary teams work hard to meet resident expectations for taste and quality. We continuously update our menus to incorporate seasonal produce and flavours, keeping choices fresh and interesting. Tapestry’s culinary experience definitely sets us apart from other senior living communities.

Our culinary teams in all our communities truly enjoy offering our residents specially themed dining events, with décor and food aligned to each theme. These types of dinners also foster camaraderie and connection, another key benefit of community living. Great food brings people together like nothing else; it sets the stage for creating new friendships and memories that make life interesting.

If you are considering a move to independent retirement living, please contact us. We would be pleased to offer you a taste of Tapestry by hosting you for lunch, along with a tour.