Discover why residents can’t stop raving about the food at Chateau Retirement Communities in Washington—a rare distinction in senior living! In this episode of the Answers for Elders podcast, host Suzanne Newman sits down with Tom Wichert, Vice President of Culinary Services. He shares how passion, creativity, and genuine care for residents have transformed dining into an experience that feels more like fine dining than a cafeteria meal.

Tom previously worked for a family-run restaurant, the Cheesecake Factory, and Ruths Chris Steakhouse before moving to Washington to become the Chef at the Bellevue Restaurant. Wanting a better work/life balance, he joined Chateau in 2012. He attributes their success to his team, having skilled and incredible directors in each building, with tons of experience and longevity with Chateau.

Tom's hobby is custom-brewed beer, and he shares that passion with residents through tastings and other events. Tom explains, "When I first started, it was me and another employee... so we started making in a bucket kind of thing. Then it just evolved. And I would say the last few years, I've gotten a little bit more involved in it, and thankfully, the Chateau has given me whatever I needed to do that, which is great. I was able to go to a brewing school three or four years ago and learn a lot of stuff that was helpful...

"And I always get the residents involved. I do beer tastings in wine tastings as well. But the beer tasting, they keep asking me, Hey, do you got any beer in competition? Did you win anything? I've gotten a few gold medals, and the National Home Brewers competition.... The residents like it and they get a kick out of it, and opening it up to the residents, that is so special. There's something so unique for them to experience. It's fun to get involved with the residents, and to see them happy. Sometimes when I do a beer tasting, when I'm done, they they'll clap and they'll say, 'Thanks, Tom,' and then they start helping me clean up. I say, 'I have it. I'll clean it up. Don't start moving chairs, please. I got it.' But they still do it. So it's a family-type thing, like your family Thanksgiving, and everybody's pitches in and help clean up. So I kind of look at it that way."

Chateau Retirement provides independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. They have been locally owned and family operated for more than 25 years. Chateau Retirement has three communities in Washington's Seattle/Puget Sound area: Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood, Bothell Landing in Bothell, and Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Visit them online or call 800.960.1944. Visit Chateau's specialist page on Answers for Elders.

Mentioned in this episode:

Chateau Retirement

Chateau Retirement

Walk to End Alzheimer's

Learn more about the Walk to End Alzheimer's at https://www.alz.org/walk.