Derby Public Library to host local author Aug. 18

 

Cooking demo slated at Griffin Center for Healthy Living in Oxford

OXFORD - The Griffin Center for Healthy Living is helping individuals resolve to eat healthier in 2025 with a free cooking demonstration on Jan. 23.

Cooking with Healthy Grains will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Griffin Center for Healthy Living Teaching Kitchen, Quarry Walk, 300 Oxford Road.

This free culinary workshop will feature a discussion by registered Dietitian Becca Cretella on the importance of including healthy grains into your diet, and Executive Chef Daryeal Murphy will prepare a high-fiber dish highlighting freekah for participants to learn how to make and sample.

This event is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. 

Visit griffinhealth.org/events-calendar/cooking-with-healthy-grains or contact the Griffin Center for Healthy Living Coordinator at 203-732-1369 to sign up.

This is a press release from Griffin Health.

Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton to host cooking program for teens

 

This is shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Seymour Public Library to host virtual cooking class to mark Year of the Tiger

 

Residents, chef at Wesley Heights in Shelton share recipes, bake

Wesley Heights resident and baking club member Libby Floroski makes cookies./ Contributed photo

SHELTON - A group of six residents and Chef Richard Scaife of Wesley Heights, met on a recent Monday morning to mix up a Snickerdoodle recipe for their unique baking club.

“This recipe was one of my son’s favorites. My son is in his 70s, so I’ve been making Snickerdoodles for 70 years,” said Florence Chicos, a resident. 

Florence Chicos

The residents meet on a regular basis and share their own recipes and ideas with one another.  
Scaife supplies the ingredients, equipment, and space to make the process easier and more accessible for residents. 
Once the mixing of batter is complete and the cookies are placed on baking sheets, Scaife puts them in an industrial oven to bake. “Once everything is made, I package up the cookies, go to the residents' apartments and bring them what they made,” said Scaife. 

The Baker's Bakers club began as an initiative to reignite a shared passion for baking, by bringing people together and celebrating their heritage and traditions. 
“You name it and I must’ve tried it once,” said Chicos. “I used to love making wedding cakes. I made all of my boys’ wedding cakes and my nieces and nephews.” 

Many residents grew up in households where they learned cooking and baking skills at a young age and provided their families with special desserts or simply enjoyed baking as a hobby. 

“When I was 13, I was cooking for the family- I would make dinner. I was about the only one who would make a dessert. I would make pudding cake-just simple stuff,” said resident Libby Floroski. 

What makes this baking program so special is it allows residents the opportunity to bake for fun. “I’ve always like to bake and through the holidays I baked cookies. I made a platter for each person and in order to do that you had to make a lot of cookies. So, I would start baking three weeks before the holiday.  Everybody had a favorite cookie,” she said. 

Residents can enjoy the process of making cakes, bread, and cookies with others and not be overwhelmed by the prepping, organizing, and cleaning that goes along with it. 

The Wesley Village Campus is located at 580 Long Hill Ave. It includes: Crosby Commons Independent/Assisted Living Community, Wesley Heights Independent/Assisted Living Community, Lifestyle Transitions Assisted Living/Memory Support Community, and Bishop Wicke Health and Rehabilitation Center. 

The campus is owned and operated by UMH, a local, mission-based, not-for-profit organization. 

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.

Derby's new farm market now features culinary delights

Aaron Magun, executive chef, Seasons at Jeffrey's in Milford, cooks Sunday at the Derby Green Market. The farm market is open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 16. 
Check it out! You'll find lots of locally grown produce and delicious-looking baked goods.


Stay tuned for a story and more photos in this week's Valley Voice newsletter.

Chef at Crosby Commons in Shelton earns recognition

Chef Manager Hector Velez, center, shows off his award-winning entrée at the CALA 2016 Chef Challenge. With him is Crosby Commons Executive Director Lori Pisani and Chef Supervisor Richard Scaife./ Submitted photo

SHELTON - Wesley Village Chef Hector Velez was recently recognized for excellence in the 2016 Chef Challenge at the Connecticut Assisted Living Association’s 21^st Annual Conference and Trade Show. 

Velez, Chef Manager at Crosby Commons Independent and Assisted Living Community at Wesley Village, won first place for his entrée, “Mofungo with Shrimp,” in the seafood category of the challenge. 

The annual competition, which featured several of the best chefs in senior living in all of Connecticut, is designed to showcase creativity using a variety of food products. Contestants are judged by a panel of professional chefs on several scoring elements including: organization, sanitation, creativity, culinary technique, portion size, taste, presentation, nutritional balance, utilization of ingredients, and use of allotted time. 

All competitors received 60 minutes to fabricate, prepare, and cook their dish, with an additional 15 minutes allocated for dish-up and judging. 

Winners in each category (Beef, Poultry, Seafood) were awarded the “Chopped Award”. The event was held on March 3 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Cromwell. 

Congratulations to Chef Velez and the Crosby Commons community on this fine award!

Crosby Commons is located on the Wesley Village Campus and offers award-winning independent and assisted senior living options, along with access to a broad continuum of care. The campus is located at 580 Long Hill Ave. and is owned and operated by United Methodist Homes, a local mission-based, not-for-profit organization. 

To learn more about senior living options at Crosby Commons or Wesley Village, visit www.wesleyvillage-ct.org or contact Lisa Bisson, 203-225-5024.

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.