Episode #7
Culinary Excellence in Senior Living
Host Matt Mauthe welcomes Patty Moe, Regional Director with New Horizon Foods and a strategic partner of Illuminus. They discuss her career path, from 10 years with the Minneapolis Police Department (and a brief start in mortuary science), to culinary leadership in senior living. Patty shares early influences, self-taught training, roles in school food service, and joining Illuminus as Executive Chef before moving into leadership. She explains why food is central to residents’ quality of life, how listening to residents through dining-room conversations and committees improves service, and the challenges of recruiting cooks due to stigma about “nursing home” kitchens. Listen as she highlights opportunities like better work/life balance, scratch cooking, fresh ingredients, multiple dining venues, managing special diets, regional preferences, and presentation “wow factor”. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:37 Meet Patty Moe 02:08 From Cop to Chef 02:55 Mortuary Science Detour 04:39 Career Pivot to Food 06:21 Joining Illuminus 07:29 Why Food Matters 09:00 Serving Seniors Well 11:16 Kitchen Staffing Challenges 12:38 Opportunities and Mentoring 16:11 Fresh Ingredients Philosophy 16:39 Farm to Table Reality 18:01 Creativity and Presentation 19:30 Dining Venues and Future 24:46 Regional Tastes and Diets 26:25 Regulations and Wrap Up Learn more about Illuminus at https://www.illuminus.us/
