“Cook For A Day” At Good Companions Senior Center
By Allison Rowe
Henry Street’s Good Companions Senior Center (GCSC) kitchen mixed things up in November with the debut of “Cook for a Day,” a new program that invites a senior center client to cook alongside the regular kitchen crew.
Good Companion client Sarita Torres, the first Cook for a Day participant, helped Food Services Manager Linda Diaz-Matos, Chief Cook David Stanford, and Assistant Cook Parnell Eugene to prepare and serve more than 100 lunch meals. On the menu that day were barbecue chicken, macaroni & cheese, salad, fruit and drinks.
The Center began the program to teach the seniors about food safety, nutrition, and the challenges of serving hundreds of lunches and dinners per day to a diverse population of seniors on the Lower East Side.
Sarita rose to the challenge and was rewarded with a personalized apron, and a new cooking pot.
GCSC hopes to continue the Cook for a Day program monthly after receiving positive feedback and interest from other senior clients. In the spring they will introduce another cooking activity that will pit three seniors against each other in a head-to-head cook off!
The Good Companion Senior Center, located at 334 Madison St., serves lunch and dinner to seniors of the Lower East Side and their guests, Sunday through Friday, for a suggested contribution of $1.50 per meal.
