Residents’ Favorite Dishes Are on the Menu at The Vista
Good food makes everything better, from gatherings with friends and family, to how we feel physically and mentally. We considered how important food is to our total wellness when creating the dining options for The Vista, New Jersey’s new continuing care retirement community (CCRC) coming soon to Christian Health’s (CH) Wyckoff campus.
The community will feature three restaurants. Waterstone will be a full-service, fine-dining experience, and the Gallery Café will be a more casual option; both will have al fresco dining. The Windmill will offer pub-like fare and take-out options, and catering options will also be available to Vista residents.
“Think about your favorite restaurant in the world and being able to access it every day,” says Schelley Hollyday, Principal in Hollyday Group, a company which focuses solely on senior-living hospitality and is developing The Vista’s culinary program. “How would you keep it new and fresh? That’s what we are creating at The Vista.”
And we made sure to ask the experts – the culinary program was heavily influenced by resident focus groups.
“We have a saying in this industry: If you’ve seen one retirement community, you’ve seen one retirement community. Every one is different. That’s why The Vista focus groups were so important,” says Ms. Hollyday, who has 30 years of experience in senior-living hospitality. “Among Vista residents, a variety of dining options, the farm-to-fork movement, and transparency about ingredients and preparation are important.”
Armed with this information, Ms. Hollyday developed menus for each Vista restaurant.
“I am developing the recipe for each menu selection and ensuring that The Vista culinary staff will be able to get every ingredient needed. Then, a nutritional analysis of each menu item will be created,” Ms. Hollyday says.
During the focus groups, participants were also asked to name their favorite area restaurants and favorite menu items.
“I contacted the restaurants named most frequently and asked if we could incorporate some of their menu items into Vista menus,” Ms. Hollyday says. “The restaurants were quite honored to be recognized in this fashion.”
One of the most exciting aspects of The Vista culinary program will be that menu options will never be stagnant.
“The Vista will have seasonal menus, specific regional selections, and flexible dining experiences,” Ms. Hollyday says. “We will stay on top of trends and what people are looking for when they go to public restaurants so we can replicate what they are having.”
The culinary options, combined with the wellness dimensions, are two of the ways we work to inspire and engage with Vista residents. The Vista will also work to ensure special dietary needs are met as much as possible.
To learn more about culinary and wellness at The Vista, call (201) 848-4200 or complete a contact form to connect with our experts today. The Vista Information Center is located at 525 Cedar Hill Ave., Cedar Hill Plaza, Wyckoff, NJ.