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Connect with a Lifestyle Leasing ConsultantBlog | September 16, 2024
‘It’s like living on a cruise ship that doesn’t leave the dock’
Sponsored Story – Read on the Calgary Herald Website
Emphasis on quality dining is one of many factors that sets Trico LivingWell apart
By Cindy Stephen @2024 Postmedia Network Inc.
The goal at Trico LivingWell is to elevate the dining experience to be more in line with the kind of fine dining quality found in broader community.
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Liana Robberecht, executive chef at Trico LivingWell, was stunned the day someone asked how she enjoyed working in retirement living. After decades overseeing Calgary’s storied Petroleum Club, the award-winning chef regarded her work in an active older adult community as being no different.
“Elevating the dining experience to be more in line with fine dining in the broader community is exactly what the retirement industry needs,” she says. “The older adults we have coming to retirement living simply won’t stand for the quality of food from 10 or 20 years ago.”
Don Driscoll, a longtime Petroleum Club board member, was overjoyed to learn Robberecht, who he’s known for 25 years, was at Trico LivingWell. She was a primary reason why he and his 82-year-old wife Marlene moved there in April.
“The magnet was Liana, and then we saw the rest of it. We couldn’t be happier. It’s like living on a cruise ship that doesn’t leave the dock,” says the 84-year-old. The Driscolls frequently invite friends for lunch or book the private dining room for family dinners.
“Part of enjoying your home is entertaining, and we can entertain here,” Driscoll says.
Trico LivingWell executive chef Liana Robberecht previously oversaw cuisine at Calgary’s storied Petroleum Club.
Robberecht gives full credit to the kitchen team in bringing her vision to life. Their approach to the dining experience at Trico LivingWell starts with flexibility. At Trico LivingWell, residents are empowered to embrace independence, and dining is no different – residents dine whenever they wish, sit with whomever they wish and eat whatever they wish. The menu has two daily features and an entire page of any-time items. The dining room is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents can enjoy a quick snack at the bistro, or grab-and-go items at their leisure.
Food preferences, allergies and cultural requirements are accommodated in Robberecht’s kitchen. Sauces are gluten-free by default. Even residents restricted to a soft or puréed menu will enjoy mouth-watering meal presentations, perhaps garnished with locally grown edible flowers.
Trico LivingWell is Canada’s first retirement community pursuing WELL v2 Certification from the International WELL Building Institute. One of the 10 categories falling under this certification is nourishment, encouraging the creation of food environments where the healthiest choice is the easiest choice. Building materials, air quality and resident well-being through mental and physical health initiatives are a few of the other standards that must be met.
With her deep experience, nourishment is a standard Robberecht can meet easily. Everything is made from scratch from fresh ingredients with an emphasis on quality proteins. Monk fruit sugar is used in baking. Fresh herbs mean there’s less reliance on salt for flavour. Instead of high sugar content juice or pop in the bistro, residents can choose from a selection of healthy local drinks.
Don and Marlene Driscoll choose Trico LivingWell for several reasons, but the fine dining was at the top of their list.
The career transition to active older adult living has set her on a path to challenge the status quo in the senior living industry.
“I’ve really learned about ageism and food. Assuming a style of menu or food based on age without self-agency is food ageism,” she says. “There is no definition of food ageism in the dictionary – but it exists. We need to start a food revolution, and it will be delicious.”
To learn more about Trico LivingWell, please visit the website at tricolivingwell.com.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Trico LivingWell.
