When Juanita moved into Tapestry at Arbutus Walk in May of 2023 she knew that meant downsizing her space, and wasn’t sure if she would be able to continue entertaining the way she was used to.

“We’ve got a fairly big family,” says Juanita, “For all my married life I hosted Christmas and New Year’s and all the big family get togethers. Over time, my son and daughter-in-law started hosting Christmas so I took on New Year’s Day, which I have done for probably the last 10 years,” she adds.

Thanks to the talented and willing restaurant team at Tapestry, Juanita was able to keep her long-standing tradition of hosting the family meal on New Year’s Day 2024. The private dining room at Tapestry at Arbutus Walk is the perfect location to host a larger gathering for friends or family, and the restaurant team will personalize the décor, the food and other details to ensure it reflects each resident and their preferences.

Restaurant Manager Kevin Leeming and Restaurant Supervisor Mags Ryan were happy to work with Juanita to help plan the dinner for her group of 13 people, which included her children, grandchildren and extended family members.

Despite admitting to being a bit nervous to give up some control over the event, Juanita says the restaurant team “bent over backwards to make sure I was involved in the planning. Everyone was so lovely and warm, and it was so easy. It felt like it was ‘our party’ and it really relaxed me,” she adds.

Tapestry employees took care of all the details to make the dinner worry-free for Juanita. “The decorations that Mags coordinated were just amazing,” says Juanita. “It was an elegant New Year’s theme with silver and gold, balloons, tiaras and horns. Very celebratory and festive.”

“When planning these types of events, we are able to be flexible and adjust depending on the resident and their preferences,” says Kevin. “We like our residents to know that their opinion is valued and their input is important, and we find that helps ease any trepidation they may have. Ultimately, it’s their event and we want to make it special for them.”

Juanita met with Head Chef Valentino Pereira to discuss options for the personalized dinner menu, which included a cocktail hour with three different types of hors d’oeuvres, choice of soup or salad for appetizer, and trout or short ribs for the main. “I asked Chef Valentino to make my favourite dessert – lemon posett (a type of pudding similar to panna cotta) – and he was happy to do that,” Juanita says.

The importance to Juanita of keeping her New Year’s Day dinner tradition alive at Tapestry can’t be overstated. “I think it was the thing that put me over the edge of feeling like I really do belong to this community,” she says. “My husband and I had a pretty full life and I was the consummate hostess. I love cooking and it was nothing to have 20 people around my dining table at any one time. This was a great way to round out our Christmas season.”

Juanita wasn’t the only one who enjoyed her private dining experience at Tapestry. “Everyone loved the food. My daughter said her mother-in-law raved all the way back to White Rock about the short ribs,” Juanita says with a chuckle. Juanita further pointed out that the chefs at Tapestry also accommodated food preferences in the group, and even happily addressed special requests on the day of the event.

Juanita’s New Year’s Day private dinner event is a good example of the type of collaboration typical of the restaurant team at Tapestry at Arbutus Walk, says Kevin. “We’re really proud of what we’ve created here,” he says. “It’s important to us because we want that elevated level of service for our residents.”

Kevin says the team has hosted an annual “Pierogi Pig Out” for another family with a huge spread of the traditional filled dumplings, kielbasa (sausage) and other treats. “We love doing it, and it exposes us to different cultural traditions,” he says.

Kevin says it’s quite easy and stress free for Tapestry residents to host a private dining event. “You receive fine dining restaurant quality meals in the comfort of your own community, with personalized service from people you know and trust,” he adds.

At Tapestry, we consider it an honour to help you keep your traditions alive and we have a variety of spaces at each of our locations that you can consider an extension of your private suite.

If you’re looking to live somewhere where family traditions and food are celebrated and even elevated, consider a move to Tapestry. Please contact us as we would be pleased to host you for lunch and a tour.