ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Grace Delaune nibbled on striped bass and quinoa salad, pondering the flavors and textures of each dish. Myke Hammaker savored the miso cod and spinach. The two women weren’t simply having lunch. They were judges at the Senior Eats Nutritional Challenge in Fort Belvoir last week. “The food challenge was a lot of fun and the food was excellent. Every dish was beautifully displayed and cooked perfectly,” said Hammaker. “It was hard for the judges to pick the best dish although I picked the Miso Cod with Spinach because it really stood out as a fantastic dish.”
“The five selections were just outstanding. It was very difficult to pick the best dish, although my favorite was the Striped Bass with Quinoa Salad,” added Delaune.
The winning recipe was Miso Cod with Spinach. During the competition, which was sponsored by Sunrise Senior Living headquartered in McLean, Va., and held at The Fairfax, a Sunrise community, five of the company’s top chefs prepared their healthiest dishes, making use of only fresh, local ingredients. A panel of Sunrise residents judged the chefs’ creations. One of the goals of the competition was to break negative stereotypes about the quality of food served in retirement communities.
“All of our finalists did an incredible job creating meals that could rival our country’s top restaurant chefs,” said Tim Whelan, vice president, Dining Services for Sunrise. “We constantly look at ways to provide more variety for our residents to enjoy, and the Nutritional
Challenge is a great way to add unique, healthful dishes to our menus.”
The chefs were judged on their ability to meet Sunrise’s Signature Dining criteria, which includes using fresh, seasonal ingredients. After the competition chefs and residents discussed the recipes used, nutritional needs of seniors and the role that eating healthfully can lead to