Immanuel, a nonprofit organization with 18 retirement communities across Nebraska and Iowa, put their name in the history books as one of the first retirement living organizations to host a significant culinary competition in the United States. As an organization dedicated to serving seniors, Immanuel greatly emphasizes the culinary and dining experiences within their communities. To foster a sense of competition, leaders in the Immanuel culinary department created a unique cooking competition called the Immanuel Culinary Cup.Â
The competitionÂ
Fourteen Immanuel chefs, including the executive chefs from Lincoln-based communities, came to the Sysco Commercial Kitchen in Lincoln, Nebraska, to put their skills to the test in an exciting way. Eric Gurley, Immanuel's president and CEO, wants the Culinary Cup to occur annually.
"We do it to sharpen their skills and foster creativity because people in the food sciences are really food artists," Gurley said. "You have to cultivate that in order to continue to get engagement. It is amazing to see what they bring to the table on behalf of those we serve."Â
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Chefs were paired in teams of two and tasked with creating a crab cake appetizer and an entrée of their choice. Chefs Kazim Yezdi and Bryan Hunter made a winning crab cake paired with three different dipping sauces, along with a surf and turf entrée of rib-eye steak, shrimp two ways, and rice. They also threw in creme brulee for good measure.Â
The productionÂ
In addition to testing the skills of the Immanuel culinary team, this competition provided an opportunity to capture a fun and engaging day of cooking that could be shared with residents, participants and employees. Immanuel’s marketing department assembled a 10-person video production team to film and edit a 25-minute cooking competition episode from the day’s activities.
"Our residents take pride in their food and the chefs who prepare it. Being able to invite them to watch this unique event and cheer on their community's chef is another way Immanuel strives to elevate food from feeding to a holistic experience," Gurley said.Â
As a long-standing culinary leader in the retirement living industry, Immanuel continues to innovate and create new ways to engage employees and residents, current and future. The episode will be premiered at each Immanuel community throughout the spring and then posted to Immanuel social media channels.
Immanuel is a Midwest leader in senior living, boasting a 135-year history of inspiring aging seniors to love their next chapter. Immanuel's not-for-profit mission allows for the continuous improvement of communities, programmatic initiatives and resident experiences. From independent living to assisted living, memory support, 55-plus affordable living and long-term care, Immanuel offers an array of senior living communities and support centers throughout Nebraska and Iowa. Learn more about Immanuel's communities and its nonprofit mission at immanuel.com.