On Monday evening, November 29th, members of The Mayflower Community’s Beebe Assisted Living Book Club enjoyed a meal reflecting the theme of the latest book that they have been consuming. “Dinner with Edward” has been played on CD for residents. Community Life and Wellness Coordinator, Jessica Hasenyager, took the audio book engagement one step further by designing the dinner event to reflect the book.
Monday night’s event was the first of their “Book Club Dinners.” The Book Club meets on Monday afternoons to listen to a book on tape. They started with “Dinner with Edward” by Isabel Vincent. The story about an unlikely friendship between a recently-divorced journalist and 92-year-old Edward, who has just lost his wife. Edward is a phenomenal cook who previously hosted dinners with his late wife. Now, both characters find their way back to happier times bonding over their weekly dinners. Each chapter begins with one of the special meals that they shared.
Jacob Staroska, Mayflower’s Foodservices Supervisor, used his culinary talents to mirror one of the meals from the book. Eight residents plus Brittany Hinkle, Interim Assisted Living Director, and Jessica enjoyed the special treat. One of the benefits of this arrangement was that, since Beebe Assisted Living fees include all meals, this “Dinner with Edward” was free of added charge.
— Bob Mann, Mayflower Sales & Marketing Director