Celebrating Culinary Excellence and Partnership at Gardens on Quail

Inside the quiet halls of a retirement community in Arvada, Colorado, Chef Jeff Schlimm is creating high-end dishes for his diners. In the kitchen you’ll find marinated steak, homemade dressings, and fresh salsa. Working closely with Sous Chef Melissa Rapp, each part of a dish is prepared from scratch, with each resident in mind.

Chef Jeff found his passion for the kitchen, like many of us in the community, cooking with his mom. With 18 years of experience, including working in fine-dining and culinary nutrition, he can combine his love of cooking with his passion for nutrition.

According to Amy Chiaro, Sales Representative with Shamrock Foods, “This chef is truly trying to change the perception of food in healthcare.”

The residents of Gardens on Quail enjoy comfort food with a fine dining twist. On the menu, you will find mile high burgers are created with a multitude of toppings, authentic Hispanic flavors, like posole and mole, smoked meats, and fresh salads and pastas. According to Chef Jeff, he enjoys “simplicity and letting great ingredients shine.” He continues, “We have a dedicated gardener in our building that provides us with fresh squashes for our calabacitas, fresh cucumbers for our scratch pickles, heirloom tomatoes for our house salads and soups/sauces, and all the herbs we could ever want.” What’s his favorite dish on the menu? “I think my favorite one is the Brisket Salad with Horseradish Ranch. Really speaks to my cooking style. ” says Chef Jeff.

Of course, working with seniors means keeping nutrition top of mind. That’s why Chef Jeff relies on Menu Wizard+. “Menu Wizard+ has been an incredible tool for building my menu, and the people behind it go above and beyond to keep it fresh and current. They add recipes that I need, and the nutritional’s that go with them are such a valuable tool that we use daily.”, says Chef Jeff. Working closely with his sales representative, Amy, they stay ahead of the game and add his custom recipes to Menu Wizard+ to print scalable recipes, nutritional reports, cost reports, shopping list and more. That partnership has left a lasting impression on Chef Jeff, “My experience with Shamrock has been so good. I have used every distributor in my career and the thing that really sets Shamrock apart is the people.” says Chef Jeff.

From concept to final plate, Chef Jeff is redefining senior living dining. We at Shamrock Foods are proud to partner with him and the team at Gardens on Quail retirement and assisted living community to make that happen.

Looking for a fresh approach to the unique needs and challenges of the healthcare industry?  The dedicated and experienced healthcare team at Shamrock Foods works with hospitals, long-term care and other institutional programs to deliver specialized solutions. Learn how the team can serve you.