Local chefs compete at Meadowood retirement home

Meadowood, a Five Star Senior Living Community in Bloomington, had an Iron Chef-style cooking challenge Thursday.

The event featured Meadowood chef Alan Booze as well as three other chefs from sister communities, said Bill Bennett, marketing director for Meadowood.
 
“Our chef is going to take on three other chefs, two from Indy and one from the Louisville area,” Bennett said before the event. “Each chef is going to be given the same four secret ingredients for an entrée and then four more ingredients for an appetizer. Then, they will have 90 minutes to prepare a dish.”

A panel of judges rated the different dishes upon their completion. The judges panel included Chef Tad DeLay of Ivy Tech, Adam Wason, assistant director of economic development for Bloomington and two audience members who were selected at random.

“They asked Meadowood and myself if we would like to host, and of course we said yes,” Booze said.

Bennett said the event was intended to raise awareness of the Meadowood community and change perceptions about food in senior living centers.

“I think a lot of people have misconceptions that if you come to a retirement community or any place that cooks food on a larger scale, that it’s going to be kind of the boring same old, same old cafeteria stuff,” Bennett said. “We’re trying to dispel that myth because we have a very talented executive chef here.”

Booze, who is the executive chef at Meadowood, began cooking professionally as a line cook at Opie Taylor’s.
 
He later left Opie Taylor’s to become the kitchen manager at Upland Brewing Company, a position he had until he was hired at Meadowood in 2002.
He became executive chef at Meadowood in 2004.

“Getting to experiment with different menus, not only on a daily basis, but also for all our special functions and parties, keeps working at Meadowood an ever-challenging job,” Booze said in a handout distributed at the competition. “My favorite cooking form is grilling, and I love to develop new rubs and sauces for the residents’ enjoyment.”

Before the event, Booze gave the other chefs a tour of the facilities to acquaint them with the kitchen.

“I’m a little anxious, but I’m definitely not nervous because I’ve done a competition like this before,” Booze said.

Booze competed against one of his former sous-chefs in the competition as well as two others.

Rafael Deleon, originally from Mexico, has been with Five Star Senior Living for 10 years.

He began in 2002 as a dish washer, but moved up the ranks and eventually became the sous-chef. Then, when the executive chef position became available at McKay Manor in Shelbyville in 2010, he accepted the job.  

Jeff Kukluski has been the executive chef at another Five Star Senior Living community, The Forum at Brookside, for six years.

When Egypt-born Neaizy Massoud discovered cooking was his passion, he moved to France to pursue his dream. While in Europe, he opened several restaurants.

Now, Massoud is the director of food service operations for Riverwalk Commons Five Star Senior Living Community in Noblesville, Ind.

Although there is no real prize, Booze said they compete for honor.

“I think it’s pretty much bragging rights,” Booze said. “There’s talk about a little traveling trophy so that whatever chef wins, their home facility will get the trophy and be able to brag about it until next year’s competition.”

If the competition is successful, Booze said the event will likely continue in upcoming years but at different senior living centers.

Bennett said they were prepared for 150 audience members for the event Thursday.
It was free, and everyone from the community was welcome to attend.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Booze said before the event. “It’s a good thing for Meadowood to show off the community and other places what we actually do and what can be done by talented chefs in a setting like a retirement community.”

— Hannah Smith