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The first week of October is Healthcare Foodservice Week. This is a time to celebrate our healthcare food service team and the hard work that they put in each day to prepare meals for our residents.

Portside Health & Rehab has been a shining star in the Fresh Bread program initiative. We interviewed Byron Brown, Dietary Manager at Portside, and Bernadette Marshall, Dietary Aide and Baker, to learn how they make delicious meals for the residents.

Tell us about the Fresh Bread Program at Portside

The fresh bread program is an initiative started by Chef Moe Elmaher, Director of Culinary, to improve the quality of food across Saber Healthcare communities. This initiative involves teaching the staff to bake bread from scratch to make meals, from dinner rolls to tasty desserts.

“We started the fresh bread program here at Portside in December of last year,” Brown told us. “We’re proud that we are almost a year into the program. We’ve seen so much success with the residents enjoying the meals.”

Tell us about the journey to set up the Fresh Bread program at Portside

Brown told us that his team already had some experience with baking, which helped immensely with the transition to making fresh bread.

“I attended and graduated from culinary school. I feel as though my experience really helped me to understand Chef Moe’s vision for the program,” Brown stated.

Marshall also had experience in baking, “I started out baking for fun at home. My experience and passion for baking helped me to easily learn how to use the recipes to make delicious meals for Portside’s residents.”

What are some yummy treats that you’ve made in the Fresh Bread program?

“The residents love many of the things we make for them! Cinnamon rolls, bread pudding, strawberry cake with graham crackers, garlic bread loaves, and hot dog buns are some of the items that they love to eat since we started the program. We make a mix of things and aim for goals,” Marshall told us.

How has the resident feedback been since implementing the fresh bread program?

Brown said the residents are extremely supportive of the Fresh Bread program. He explained that the residents are extremely pleased with the food and that they especially love the fresh deli sandwiches.

“The residents will provide feedback to us daily, so we always know what’s working. We even interviewed the resident council for their opinion, and they told us that everyone immediately noticed a change. Before, we used frozen products from US foods. Now, we bake many of our bread products fresh and people love it,” Brown stated.

Brown told us that the bread  that they would order had a shorter shelf life than those that they bake. Now, they always can make exactly what they need, which reduces food waste and ensures that the residents always have a fresh product to enjoy.

Tell us your favorite part about working at Portside Health & Rehab

“My favorite part about working at Portside Health & Rehab is talking with the residents. I love meeting them, and I really like that people know my name. They also tell me how I’m doing, which motivates me to provide them with meals that they genuinely enjoy,” Marshall said.

“My favorite part about my job is our team. In our setting, there are many moving pieces to deal with. However, our dietary staff comes together and communicates well to get tasks done. We have a really great team,” Brown told us.

What are some of the residents’ favorite meals here at Portside?

The dietary department will offer days where residents can have their choice of meal. One meal that they commonly request is pork ribs. They also like fried chicken and other southern cuisines such as meatloaf, sausage, and rice. Many of the meals that they have will often have dinner rolls served alongside the main course.

What’s one piece of nutritional advice that you would give our readers?

“Many times, people act like bread is an enemy to weight loss. However, we prepare our bread here with only five ingredients,” Brown said. “There is more nutritional value to our bread than what you can find at the store. Oftentimes, store bought breads will contain ingredients that you can’t pronounce, many of which are harmful. However, I recommend that everyone looks into making their meals from scratch. Our residents have improved with our goals of maintaining their weight since they have eaten our fresh bread.”

What are some benefits that you’ve noticed since starting the Fresh Bread program?

 “The residents find that their appetite is satiated. They can smell the bread throughout the building, which makes them excited to eat what we offer here,” Brown said.

He also informed us that the Fresh Bread program is part of many of the meals. Currently, they strive to bake everything except for a few items, such as English muffins and croissants.

Celebrating National Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week at Portside Health & Rehab!

Saber is proud to congratulate Portside for their hard work and passion for serving meals to the residents. Thank you, Brown and Marshall, for your dedication!

“I am a leader in helping to develop the Fresh Bread program further across the company. As Saber continues to expand the Fresh Bread initiative, Portside is willing to be a mentor and example to the communities looking to grow and improve their bread programs,” Brown said.

Saber Healthcare is an organization that provides services to more than 130 buildings across the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, and Delaware. If you want to join one of our passionate dietary teams, click here to search for jobs.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long-term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.