Brightondale and Meadowood Shores

Mariel Boeyink

Director of Dining Service

A little about your job…

I oversee dining operations for Brightondale assisted living and Reflections residents, and Meadowood Shores independent living dining room. I plan the weekly menus, special dining events, order food and manage the Dining budget, work with residents on dining options, and fill in wherever I’m needed in my department.

How many people are on your team?

40

What special training or education helped best prepare you for this career?

I attended Luther College for my bachelor’s degree and worked in the cafeteria for my work study. That was where it all started! Later I attended Saint Paul College for a culinary arts certificate.

What are the meals your residents request the most?

My residents love to eat roast beef, meat lasagna, salmon, meatloaf, and walleye.

What is the most memorable meal you have cooked at your community?

I will always remember the first Elegant Dinner I designed the menu for, when I was a Chef at Brightondale. We created an Asian- flavored meal with French cooking techniques and plate design. We served a soy-braised beef short rib with ginger-garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with lime and peanut, curried butternut squash soup, a cucumber and crab appetizer, a mushroom-watercress salad, and orange-star anise crème brulee with soft spiced chocolate cookies. It was very challenging to organize, and a little scary hoping everything (some of which were recipes we hadn’t tried previously) would turn out well. The residents loved it!

What is your specialty or favorite dish to make?

I really enjoy making soup, and finding delicious and creative uses for extra produce and ingredients.

What makes the dining experience at your community stand out from the competition?

At Brightondale and Meadowood Shores, we combine fine dining options with a comfortable, homey atmosphere. We are always striving to improve our residents’ dining experience and provide the meals they are craving.

More About Mariel…

I grew up in Saint Paul, near the Como Zoo and State Fair. I have loved to read from an early age. I liked scary stories when I was little, and now I read all kinds of things that interest me, but my favorite topics fantasy and historical fiction. I have loved to eat since I was small as well, but was a picky eater until I was in high school. I drew and painted as a child, and even taught art to kids in high school. When I have time, I still submit paintings and drawings to shows with a local art collective. I played the trumpet through college, and still miss playing in an ensemble. I went to Luther College in Northeast Iowa and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I enjoyed my time working in the cafeteria while I was there, and also was so lucky as to live 20 minutes away from my grandparents. We had Sunday dinner together every weekend! I worked in an office for 5 years after college, and when it became apparent to me that cooking dinner for myself every night wasn’t enough to satisfy my passion for food, I attended culinary school to see what kind of career in food I would want. I worked in a restaurant and decided I wanted to get to know my customers. I started working as a chef at Parkshore Senior Community the day after I completed my certificate, and have been with Silvercrest ever since!

What are you top “go to” meals when you are cooking at home?

I love starch! Very often at my house, we eat stir fry with rice or noodles, or pasta. I don’t make a lot of things twice, but our family favorite, and a rare treat, is red beans and rice made when I get my hands on a ham bone.

Cats or Dogs?

Dogs! I have 2.

Favorite Movie?

Moulin Rouge

Favorite Book?

The Song of Ice and Fire Series, by George RR Martin

Favorite Sports Team(s)?

If I could watch every minute of the Olympics, I would. Especially the Winter Olympics.

Favorite bands?

Journey and Hanson

If you could go on a culinary trip anywhere in the world – which country/city would you go to and why?

If I had unlimited time and resources, I would eat my way around the world in New York City.

If you could have a superpower – which one would you choose and why?

I wish I could bend time. It would be like being in two places at once!

Tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise your residents?

I’ve been out of the country 3 times, all when I was in college. I took advantage of the January term all 3 years to travel to China, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Do you have a favorite resident memory or story to share?

One of our residents at Brightondale was in her first or second day in the building. My daughter was 3 at the time, and loved to visit the birds in the aviary. She found the resident in a chair nearby, grabbed her by the hand, called her Grandma, and demanded she go look at the birds with her. That resident always remembered that day, and said it made her feel welcome and at home in a new place.