January 31, 2018
Face to Face with our Director of Food Services
Donald Williams
Graduating in 1992 with a Certified Dietary Manager Degree, Donald has been a Director of Food Service since 2004. At Oakwood, Donald is responsible for our successful dining services – and the efficient Meal Tracker System behind them!
Working since 2001 with Irene, Oakwood’s Administrator, Donald emphasizes the importance of working with an administrator who “gets it”.
“A good fit with the administrator is a very important piece of this job”, indicates Donald. “Irene understands what running a kitchen entails and makes sure we have everything we need to operate an efficient kitchen that produces medically prescribed food that is both appealing and tasty”.
As for Donald’s pride & joy:
# 1 RESIDENT SATISFACTION:
“When someone stops me in the hall and says—’Donald, soup was phenomenal’—it means that we are doing our job, and it means a lot to me!
You have to understand, our competition is ‘HOME’. Our residents’ daily fare needs to be at least as good as their food at home.”
Most people have preconceived notions of nursing home food but Oakwood is breaking that mold with fantastic food that is appealing to the eye, nutritious, satisfying, and beyond residents’ expectations.
# 2 THE UNITY OF MY KITCHEN TEAM:“We have an amazing team at Oakwood and our high level of morale shows up in our residents’ food experience.” Kudos to Assistant Managers Chris Simbo & Charles McIntyre, and to Amy Coughlin, Dietitian, who are integral to the success of Oakwood’s kitchen!