Archive 2009 (2010)
Chris Moore, the main chef at Villa St. Benedict has been a little busy lately. After a surprising nomination by the Regional Director of Operations for Morrison Dining, Chris was selected out of 850 chefs to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York City for 1 week. The intensive week long training focused on new concepts, new ideas and great ways to help conserve and lessen our carbon footprint.
Being from England, Chris was excited about traveling to New York City as he has never had the opportunity to visit. Unfortunately the training was so intense he did not have the opportunity he had hoped to explore the city. “I did get to see the Statue of Liberty as we were driving in”, said Chris.
The training started immediately after the arrival of all 25 carefully selected participants. Chris said the most interesting part of the process was how secretive everything was. “They did not tell us a thing. Each of the chefs had no clue what to expect. One person had heard that it would be a lot of training and non-stop cooking, that person was very right”.
During the six day training each of the chefs spent time in the kitchen while also spending equal time in intense classroom style training. Each participant was encouraged to take back new recipes and ideas to their place of business. Master Chefs encouraged them to think beyond the ordinary and explore new and eventful meal choices. Celebrity chef, Cary Neff who most recently joined the Morrison team as VP of Culinary, conducted several demonstrations and shared with the small group new concepts for Morrison Dining. Most recently, Neff partnered with Morrison to create Flavors 450, a culinary concept that brings simple, nutritious and flavorful food to the dining experience. Working with Morrison executive chefs, he developed a menu featuring an array of more than 60 rotating recipes, each under 450 calories.
Post training Chris has been asked to put together a plan of action to implement some of the new concepts. “I am anxious about incorporating some of the wonderful things I learned. I can not wait to get started. I am most excited about a possible Mediterranean Cuisine night which will feature a different country or style of food each week”, said Chris.
Over 100 residents, staff members, friends and family came out to witness the dedication of Villa St. Benedicts new flag pole. The day was perfect for the 30 minute ceremony that included two American Legion Posts a 21 gun salute, Honor Guard and a bugle player. Representatives from the Downer Grove American Legion Post #80 and Elmhurst American Legion Post #187 volunteered there time to make the ceremony extra special for the over 50 veterans living at Villa St. Benedict.
The Benedale Center also celebrated with a Mother's Day Tea that included residents and family members from memory care. The event included an assortment of desserts and music as well as great conversation.
The Mother's Day events wrapped up with a special Mother's Day brunch served on Sunday afternoon in the main dining room.
Adult Children meet monthly (April, 2009) < read more >
Villa St. Benedict offers seniors a spectacular environment
to enjoy the good life
Ask the residents what they enjoy most about living at Villa St. Benedict and you will get a variety of answers but they most commonly include carefree living, delicious food, social opportunities and the many amenities.
Villa St. Benedict opened its doors during the Fall of 2005 after collaborating with Benedictine Health Systems in Minnesota and the Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart. After many months the dream of not only the Sisters but also of many senior residents in and around the Lisle/Naperville area was brought to life.
Sitting on 47 beautiful acres overlooking most of Lisle, Villa St. Benedict aims to give the best of all worlds to its residents. Located across from St. Procopius Abbey, Benet Academy and Benedictine University, Villa St. Benedict is known to be part of the 4 Catholic Corners in Lisle.
Because of its proximity to Benedictine University, a natural partnership has formed and Villa St. Benedict residents can audit classes at the university free of charge as well as attend various other cultural, spiritual and educational events. The goal of Villa St. Benedict is for people to see senior living as a new and exciting adventure not the end of a journey.
Life at Villa St. Benedict stays exciting everyday. With multiple dining venues the residents are offered a variety of options. No two meals are ever the same. Residents also enjoy the state-of-the-art fitness center, the beautiful chapel, the paved walking trail through the wooded campus and a variety of on and off campus events.
Would You Like to Learn More?
Villa St. Benedict offers a variety of independent living options including apartments and Villa homes. Give us a call today at 630-852-0345 to learn more about how you can start protecting your nest egg and live a life of peace-of-mind and comfort in these uncertain times.
(March, 2009) < read more >
Now going into their 6th session, the Wii bowlers of Villa St. Benedicts are still going strong. Over twenty some residents and more than 7 teams participate in the league. Each team has their own name and square off against different opponents each week. “We have really gotten creative with our team names,” said Donna Tarnowski, bowler and score keeper.
“Names like the “Holy Rollers” and “Spare Time” make up the teams of 4 or more. To conclude the 5th session and kick off the 6th session the activities department through a Wii Bowling Banquet complete with the perfect bowling cake!
(March, 2009) < read more >
Contact: Judi Strong, 630.725.7037, jstrong@villastben.org
Be Apart of Something Exciting
Villa St. Benedict and North Central College recently have teamed up to offer a program entitled, “Learning Legacy”. This new program based loosely on National Public Radio’s (NPR) Story Corps is becoming a big hit for the students and the residents alike.
Students from North Central College in Naperville, IL are volunteering their time to come to Villa St. Benedict and record the stories/history of the residents on campus. The stories are recorded and are turned into Compact Disc’s for the residents to share with their friends and families. North Central College as well as Villa St. Benedict will also keep a copy of the story for archive purposes.
This new program is a wonderful opportunity for the students as well as the residents to share information and really interact with each other while recording a little piece of history.
If you would like to know more about his wonderful program and partnership, or if you would like to visit while “history is being recorded” please contact me via email or the number listed below.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Recording history, one story at a time,
Visits Villa St. Benedict (February, 2009) < read more >
Villa St. Benedict was honored to welcome Chris Kachiroubas, the DuPage County Clerk of the Circuit Court to speak Friday, February 6. Mr. Kachiroubas was welcomed by over 50 Villa St. Benedict residents and staff members. Everyone was excited to have Chris on campus and learn more about his position. Chris informed the attendees that DuPage County Circuit Court is the second largest court system in the State of Illinois and currently handles over 15,000 case files daily through 44 courtrooms. Chris’ office annually collects in excess of $125,000,000 and generates over $20,000,000 in revenue to the DuPage County General Fund. The office is also in charge of all the ticketing and traffic violations. This was a sore subject with a few of the residents in the audience who had recently received traffic tickets. Chris had a great sense of humor and enjoyed the heckling from the audience. Mrs. Rita Harrigan, a resident of Villa St Benedict, commented, “The entire presentation was extremely informative. I really enjoyed learning more about the Circuit Court. It was also nice that Mr. Kachiroubas gave each of us useful materials that listed Government contact names and phone numbers for future reference.”
Encore Speaker (February, 2009) < read more >
Dr. Sandy Goldberg, a regular contributor for Chicago news station NBC 5 spoke at Villa St. Benedict on Tuesday, January 13. Dr. Sandy, as she is known, has a weekly series entitled “Food for Thought” that airs with NBC on Sunday mornings. Dr. Sandy has been with the station since 1994 and brings a wealth of experience and talent from the medical field. Kelli Cox, Director of Resident Services at Villa St. Benedict displayed her enthusiasm when learning that Dr. Sandy was coming to speak, “Each month we try to have a well known person come and speak on their experiences and passions in life. When Dr. Sandy agreed to speak at Villa St. Benedict it was a perfect match. The residents had been requesting a TV anchor for the encore series and with her background in the medical field we were able to not only hear about her goals in life but also learn some great tips on staying healthy for the New Year.” Residents, staff and family alike gathered to hear Dr. Sandy speak about her life experiences and what led her to teach and help others learn about healthy living. Dr. Sandy attributes her success in the field through her personal struggles with eating and weight loss. After receiving a BA from South Arkansas University and subsequently an MA from Northwestern University she decided to seriously take control of her health and weight. With dedication and hard work, she successfully lost 170 pounds and continues to keep it off. In 1987, with a new body and outlook on life, Dr. Sandy decided to continue her education by earning a CN from the American Culinary Federation. She later went on to earn an M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Nutrition from the American College of Nutrition (UAB) and a Master’s Certificate in Addictions Counseling, specializing in eating disorders. Dr. Sandy has been in private practice since 1988, successfully treating a variety of medically related nutritional problems. Her concerns with the eating disorders anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating and obesity have made her a sought-after counselor, teacher and speaker. In her own practice Dr. Sandy’s treatment mode is intensely personal, working one-on-one with clients to develop an individual and lifestyle based plan for lasting health. “Each individual is different and what works for one person may not work for another. I try to meet each person’s specific needs in order to establish the outcome they are working towards,” said Dr. Sandy. Each month Villa St. Benedict hosts an Encore speaker or presentation. If you would like to speak or give a presentation at one of the popular Encore events please contact, Kelli Cox at 630-725-7032.
(January, 2009) < read more >
Villa St. Benedict has been buzzing the entire month of December. Residents, staff, friends and family members are celebrating throughout the Christmas holiday with events, presentations and gifts for local families and soldiers over seas. Christmas cheer started in early December when residents began participating in tea socials and other events to celebrate the season. Bell choirs from around the area came to perform and dieticians even spoke about healthy eating during the holiday season. In addition to all the fun events many staff, residents and families have been working hard to give back to others this Christmas. As in past years the residents collected treats and goodies for the Troops. This year they collected over 250lbs of food and treats to be donated to Operation Support Our Troops (OSOT). OSOT is a wonderful organization which makes it a priority to let the troops serving over seas know they are loved and missed. Villa St. Benedict considers it an honor to help give back to the men and women who are fighting for this country. Residents and families in our Benedale Center are collecting scarves, mittens, hats and gloves for Sharing Connections located in Downers Grove, IL. These items are placed on a special tree in the Assisted Living building for all to see. This year they have collected more than 2 dozen sets of cold weather gear to give to families and individuals in need. Earlier this month Villa St. Benedict purchased 150 luminaries from the Infant Welfare League of Chicago. Staff and residents will light and place luminaries all along the sidewalks of campus just after dusk. This south western Christmas tradition dates back to the 16th century. The lighting of the luminaries is a way to guide travelers to their destination or more importantly to guide Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. Today we continue this tradition by lighting the candles to guide the Christ Child to our homes. Not to be left out, staff at Villa St. Benedict adopted 4 families in the Lisle area in conjunction with the Woodridge Community Pantry. These 4 families will receive not just gifts of toys and clothes but also a delicious dinner for Christmas. “This has been such a wonderful way to bring the staff together this Christmas. We have had so much fun shopping and it has been a nice way for staff to forgo buying gifts for each other and put that money toward a family who is in need”, said Judi Eagan, the Director of House Keeping.
