By Chris Frost
EAGLE TIMES NEWS EDITOR
CLAREMONT, N.H. — Seniors enjoy wholesome meals while dining at the Senior Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays, all prepared to make attendees feel full and happy.
“I sit down at my computer and look at Pinterest and menus from other places and come with a menu we’re going to have here,” said Chef Kenneth Simoneau who leads the kitchen staff and creates menus for the Seniors.
“We do meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I run the concession stand during Bingo on Wednesdays,” he said.
He prepares an entree, starch, vegetable and dessert for the seniors.
“The seniors love French pork pie, otherwise known as tourtière,” he said. “They love liver and onions, pasta dishes, American chop suey and I also do a bourbon chicken. They love chicken dishes.”
He avoids steak and stew dishes due to the cost.
“I ask for input from the seniors, and I have a lady who texts me every night and tells me how the meal was that night, whether she likes it and what I should change,” he said. “I have a group that’s out here every lunch hour eating and, after serving, I’ll come out here and they give me input about how the meal is. You make improvements based on what the people tell you.”
He’s planning to make Turkey tetrazzini, a new recipe for Simoneau.
“I’ve never eaten it,” he said. “I try to do something different, otherwise, I get bored with it and I’m sure they get bored with it too.”
Simoneau takes on a new employee with great care. Step one is having training under an experienced cook.
“We discuss the basics; when you should wash your hands. I give them a hat and tell them when they should wear gloves,” he said. “I have two to three people who have been here a long time and I place them with those people who teach them what to do. Then, they just fold in,” he said.
If there are questions, Simoneau is always available with guidance.
“When we do lunches out the door, we have an assembly line. I put on the entrée, then someone adds the vegetables, then someone adds gravy and places the covers, and someone is bagging.”
He said measuring ingredients is vital to cost control and new recipes must be followed to the letter.
“I make adjustments after someone says there is too much salt or pepper, so the next time, I cut it down,” he said.
After seeing a new recipe, Simoneau said his first question is whether or not he can properly prepare the meal at the Claremont Senior Center.
“The ingredients are the big thing,” he said. “Can I get them for a reasonable cost? If the answer is yes, the chances are that I’m going to make it here.”
Mary Sargent loves how the staff cooks and prepares each meal.
“I love the camaraderie,” she said. “I love the meatloaf. Everything they make is good. Simoneau is the best cook in the world.”
The Claremont Senior Center is located at 5 Acer Heights Road. It can be found online at cnhcs.org. To call in a required reservation for a meal, call the meals phone at 603-678-0433.
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