Responsive homes host soup contest, engaging residents and donating to those in need

Sharing food with one another has always been an important part of social customs and reinforces a special connection around the dinner table with family and friends, as well as an appreciation for our favourite nutritious farm grown ingredients. A reminder of homemade soups prepared with loving care in Mom`s or Grandma`s kitchen prompted the soup fest event at the Responsive homes not only to encourage resident and staff participation, but jog fond memories around childhood and family traditions from various households.     
The nine Responsive long-term care homes encouraged staff to participate in the contest and 90 enthusiastic team members stepped up to their stoves armed with their special personalized recipes and wholesome ingredients to ensure their soup submission would be as tasty as they remembered them to be in their  kitchens growing up. When preparing their dish dietary guidelines as well as the Canada food guide were adhered to and the winning soup reward was having their personal recipe added to the residents menu across all homes.      

Residents were asked to taste and judge these homemade nutritious soup recipes and complete rate cards to determine who would be the one winner per home that would journey onto the final cook off contest held at Cirillos Culinary Academy on Dundas Street West in Toronto, where a group of culinary experts including Corporate Chefs and Dieticians would select the one final winner.    
 
All the contestants enthusiastically competed and one final soup stood out. Mike Rosati a dedicated Personal Support Worker from Orchard Terrace Care Centre had the magic red pepper garden soup recipe that won. Residents would now have the opportunity to taste Mike’s soup on their menus and perhaps talk about a time when soups like this one brought families closer together around the dinner table. Responsive homes partnered with a local downtown mission called Sharing Place Shelter to ensure all the soups prepared during the contest were donated to those in need.          
In photos (top to bottom): soup contest finalists and judges; contest winner Mike Rosati preparing his special recipe; Corporate Chef of Jane Oulton and Associates' Daryl Neamtu donating the soup to the Director of Operations at Sharing Place Shelter, Steven Atkinson.