Record Crowd Attends our Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

As the Springwell Community continues to grow—currently 117 residents— so does the attendance at our monthly Family and Friends Events. The Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner is always a special occasion for residents and families. It is an opportunity to gather and enjoy a holiday meal without worrying about the traffic, the cooking or the clean-up that comes with holiday preparations. It is a delightful prelude to the more hectic season to follow.

‍

This year was no different than the past dinners. Invites went out to residents and families and immediately reservations started pouring in. The 6:15 seating was the most popular, allowing time for family members to get home from work and make their way to Springwell. However, the 4:30 seating was the choice of many residents as they are accustomed to eating at that time and like to maintain their routine. This was the first big event for the new Springwell Food Services Director, John Dressel, who joined Springwell on November 5th. He is a local, having attended Gilman School and Johns Hopkins University during his school years. He has extensive experience working in the food industry at hotels, bed & breakfast inns and universities. You may have also seen the new regional director for CGS (a position originally held by Mike Tourangeau), Ray Riddle, and CGS Corporate Chef, Ezra Countiss, assisting throughout the evening.

‍

The evening started off with appetizers, including a gourmet cheese board featuring a baked brie en croute which was a huge hit .  Once everyone found their seat and settled in, Ray began escorting guests to the carving station and buffet tables. The food display was lavish making the choices difficult. There was pineapple glazed ham, oven roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, all kinds of hot and cold vegetables and a green salad with candied pecans and strawberries.

‍

The upscale dessert table was laden with pies of all varieties, cobblers, éclairs and a delicious selection of gourmet cookies. Who could ask for anything more! Residents, families and friends enjoyed dining together and sharing conversation. Many of the stories focused on past Thanksgiving feasts and fond memories of family times. Some families took advantage of this time to plan for the upcoming holiday events. It was a pleasant evening that found many lingering over their glass of wine or cup of coffee, not in a hurry to say goodnight or bid farewell. As guests left the dinner, many stopped to take an “Angel” tag from the Christmas tree by the front door. This will help the Salvation Army provide a cheery holiday season to children in need.