Five Star partners with celebrity chef Brad Miller

Senior living and healthcare services company Five Star Quality Care has hired celebrity chef Brad Miller to further refine the company’s cuisine and dining experiences.

“My grandmother resides in a senior living community, and I have seen firsthand the need to ‘raise the bar’ for residents,” says the executive chef at the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga, Calif., and former contestant on “Hell’s Kitchen.” Five Star, which owns, leases and manages private pay independent and assisted living communities as well as other facilities and services throughout the United States, says Miller's involvement with the company is the latest of many efforts designed to try to bring more flavor, flexibility and choice to residents.

Throughout the year, the chef will be working with Five Star to create signature recipes to incorporate into the company’s menus. He also will host on-site community events such as cooking demonstrations and chef challenges, the first of which is scheduled for May 6 and 7 at Five Star Premier Residences in Chevy Chase, Md. A series of monthly culinary events at the communities, designed to showcase Miller’s signature dishes, also is being developed.

“Dining is a major consideration for seniors and their families when choosing where to live,” says Bruce Mackey, president and CEO of Five Star, headquartered in Newton, Mass. “We are excited to have Chef Miller join the Five Star team to take our award-winning culinary program to the next level.”

All Five Star communities have restaurant-style dining, according to the company, and more than half of its communities provide all-day dining. Many offer three kinds of dining venues: formal, café/bistro-style and buffet. The company also provides hotel-style dining and menus in several of its rehabilitation programs. In its Bridge to Rediscovery memory-care program, Five Star’s restaurant-style culinary program is designed to emphasize choice, independence and dignity. The company’s dining-related initiatives have been honored as the “Best of the Best” in senior living by the Assisted Living Federation of America.

To obtain information on the upcoming culinary workshops and special events, learn more about Miller, watch a video of his cooking tips and find ongoing culinary updates, visit www.fivestarseniorliving.com.