Farm-to-Table Seasonal Menus, Healthy Options, and Elevated Comfort Food Favorites
Brandon Wilde’s Dining Experience Keeps Raising the Bar
Brandon Wilde is well known throughout the region for its amazing hospitality, and the centerpiece of our independent living community’s gracious lifestyle can be found in its renowned dining experience.
Whether you’re in the mood for a comforting favorite like perfectly prepared salmon or a made-to-order filet mignon, or you’re ready to lean into nature’s bounty and explore the freshest ingredients on the seasonal menu, Brandon Wilde’s fare is sure to please.
“Our menu is entirely resident-driven,” explains Director of Dining Services Todd Greimel. “We listen to our diners to ensure that their culinary needs and wants are met.” For example, the community has added more scrumptious vegetarian and vegan dishes to thrill a new wave of residents who enjoy the health benefits of a plant-based diet — while also continuing to serve up hearty and elevated pork, chicken, beef, and fish entrées for Brandon Wilde’s many omnivores.
Because Brandon Wilde’s Dining Team is in-house, Executive Chef Kenny Bedenbaugh has complete control over the menu, from ingredients to recipes. Unlike communities that use third-party vendors for dining services, the kitchen can be nimble and flexible, serving up surprise specials and fulfilling special requests, too.
“Our main focus is on flavor,” says Bedenbaugh. “And the best flavor comes from the freshest ingredients. If we can get it fresh, we will get it fresh. From scratch always beats premade. We work with suppliers to get local produce, dairy, and meats and build our menus out from there.”
“It’s fall, and that means it’s time for pumpkins, pears, apples, and roots to shine,” says Greimel. “We change our menus every three months to highlight the freshest produce while keeping some favorites year-round.”
Fresh Bread, Cookies, and Cakes
To ensure that Brandon Wilde has a steady supply of fresh from the oven baked goods, the community has its very own pastry chef.
“We are able to offer fresh bread and rolls thanks to Annie Colpaert’s baking talents,” says Greimel. “Her pumpkin cookies, tiramisu, flakey apple turnovers, cookies, and French silk pie have all been huge hits with our diners. We’re excited to grow our baking program to the point that ALL our baked goods will be made in-house from scratch.”
Home for the Holidays — With Some Extra Help
While Brandon Wilde offers delicious theme dinners throughout the year, its holiday feasts and parties are truly extra special.
Residents can reserve a private dining room for their own family traditional meal, or even get catering help from the community’s dining team so they can host their family gatherings and parties in their own homes. “Our team will help you completely customize a menu that will make your event memorable and exactly as you wish,” says Greimel. “We want to have all your favorites.”
The Human Touch with High-Tech Help
When you enjoy a meal at Brandon Wilde, you may spot two very unusual team members among our crew of gracious and responsive hosts and servers. The community’s server robots, Tyrone and Jeffrey, help their human coworkers by delivering armloads of plates from the kitchen right to patrons’ tables, where servers can deliver them by hand to each diner. This saves the servers time as they don’t need to make multiple trips back and forth from the kitchen and can spend more time on the floor seeing to the needs of the diners.
“Tyrone and Jeffrey do a lot to help out and ensure that meals are delivered as soon as they are ready, but we’d never lose the human touch so important in hospitality, of course,” says Bedenbaugh. “Alison, our Hospitality Manager with 25 years of experience, and the core team members teach me about hospitality every day.”
If you and your family would like to schedule a visit to Brandon Wilde, to tour its expansive 73-acre wooded campus in Evans, Ga., and sample its premier, high-end dining options, please call 706-868-9800, or visit https://www.brandonwilde.com/dining/.