He studied at one of the country’s best culinary schools, teaches aspiring chefs at a local college and has won numerous awards for his food. Despite this impressive pedigree, Brian Hardy isn’t above accepting recipes from the residents of The Gatesworth, where he’s executive chef. In fact, he and his staff frequently visit the dining room to solicit suggestions. “We go beyond just cooking here,” he says. “We get to know people and try to make them happy.”
Last year, for example, resident Leona Refvem shared her family’s recipe for chopped liver and onions. Rather than taking offense, Hardy offered to do a side-by-side taste test with his version. Refvem’s recipe was a hit and will make a return appearance on the menu this fall. “It’s nothing to him if someone asks him to try something new or change up the menu,” Refvem says. Hardy has also adapted resident recipes for Belgian leek soup, meatballs and matzo ball soup. “We are there for them to make their lives wonderful,” he says. “If they have suggestions, we put them on the menu.”
Hardy’s team prepares full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus every day at each of The Gatesworth’s three restaurants. Despite the hefty workload, the food-service staff knows most of the 300-plus residents by name, and they’re familiar enough with individual preferences, Hardy says, to make on-the-fly meal modifications. “When you see residents day in and day out, you understand what they like,” he says. “We can do things that we could never do in a restaurant.” What’s more, the staff isn’t fazed by off-menu orders, according to Refvem. “Where we previously lived in Seattle, you had two or three choices for dinner. Here, you name your own meal. That’s why I call this my cruise ship without the water,” she says.
This kind of personalized service extends beyond the dining room to special events. Resident Sidney Martin recently hosted his 100th birthday party at The Gatesworth. The four-course meal included steak, salmon and vanilla ice cream, which Hardy made as a tribute to Martin’s past as the owner of St. Louis’ popular Velvet Freeze chain. Although the dessert was “really good,” Martin was most impressed by the catering staff’s individualized approach. “I learned in business that you have to please the customer,” he says. “They did a first-class job. My guests couldn’t believe the quality.”
Hardy says quality is his prime directive. “Every vegetable is peeled by hand, we butcher our own meat and fish, and we make our own baked goods from scratch,” he says. “We can compete with any of the top-notch restaurants in town.” Refvem agrees. “Food is an important criteria for where you live, and this place gets an A-plus.” So does Martin, who says The Gatesworth’s food tops anything he’s eaten at other retirement homes. “When you’re 100 years old, you get around quite a bit,” he laughs. “The other places I’ve been are nice, but they don’t come up to the standards of The Gatesworth.”
Pictured: Chef Brian Hardy and Sidney Martin
Photo: Tim Parker Photography
[The Gatesworth, located at One McKnight Place, offers residents three distinctly different restaurants, as well as private dining rooms for parties. To learn more, call 314.993.0111 or visit thegatesworth.com.]
