Senior Center -- A Nice Lunch for Very Little
Sierra Lodestar 06/17/11

Foothill Flavors

A Nice Lunch for Very Little

By Antoinette May Herndon

How’s this for fancy cuisine?

Beef stroganoff over noodles with vegetables Roast beef with oven browned potatoes Seafood Newburg over rice with vegetables

Are you thinking Taste maybe, or perhaps Camps?

Guess again. We’re talking San Andreas Senior Center. And this is just the beginning. The afore mentioned entrees also come with a trip to a variety-packed salad bar reminiscent of Mel & Fay’s, plus a selection of desserts and beverages.

There are surprises too, foreign favorites like Moroccan shish kabob and cuscus, English bangers and beans, Indian curried chicken and Scottish Colcannon roast pork with clapshot. We’re talking international cuisine.

What price yummy? Just $6. Yes, you read right, $6. Lunch at the Senior Center is a great deal for many who may make mid-day dining the mainstay meal for their whole day. But here’s what many others may not know and should be happy to hear: You won’t have to lie about your age to dine at the Senior Center. Nobody is going to card you. You won’t need to sport a cane or wield a walker. In other words, there are no age restrictions.

On recent visit I counted some 80 diners. At least a third were county employees and at a nearby table I spotted a group of law enforcement officers who won’t be collecting Social Security for a long, long time.

Obviously anybody and every body appreciates a good lunch at a good price.

Where

and how did it all begin?

With Marilyn Hinsdale, who some nine years ago, was looking to expand her mother’s bandwidth. It’s not so easy for a widow of a certain age—even a social net worker enjoying dates into her 90’s—to new connections. “Finding a place for Mom to enjoy herself and meet people three times a week was a real lifesaver, “ Marilyn recalls.

When Marilyn first discovered the Senior Center it was run by Area 12, a government agency. Her mom had barely settled into the routine when the feds unaccountably pulled out taking all the kitchen appliances with them. Marilyn took on the re- establishment of the place as a personal challenge. First there were grant proposals and then fund raisers. Before long Marilyn had completely re-equipped the place and hired both a chef and a sous chef. Today the center thrives on its own with no public assistance.

Don Cuneo, a cooking star featured by Sunset Magazine as a Chef of the West, has been at Marilyn’s side all the way. Though the hearty 88-year-old cook loves culinary experiments—he recently returned from a research trip to China—the volunteer chef is best known for his Italian dishes. “People really line up for Don’s monthly clam linguine,” Marilyn confides.

The Senior Center’s newest attraction is its paid chef .Marilee Boitano Durocher. Marilee, a prize winning cook who joined the staff in February. Marilee is a graduate of the Italian Culinary Institute in Modina which is a two-year program. She loved the experience and tells of staying on an additional six weeks to study the subtleties of

herbs and spices.

One of Marilee’s biggest thrills occurred when her son— unbeknownst to her—entered his favorite of her recipes in a contest. Marilee’s chicken pesto soup with turkey slammers took first place in the Light Summer Fare competition.

On another occasion, Marilee aced the Tyson Grand Slam Cook-off with her minestrone soup and homemade parmesan crackers before going on to cap the Ortega Pepper Competition with her taco soup.

Psssst! Marilee told me one of her success secrets! I’ll be nice and share it with you. This prize winning cook’s clandestine chili ingredient is coca cola.

Marilee and Don are a great team. They have fun working together and each relishes the opportunity to add a little tweak to the other’s creations. A little masterpiece theater centered right around the stove.

Recently I enjoyed chicken fried steak with veggies at the Senior Center accompanied by an excellent salad selection and an irresistible slice of cherry pie

It won’t be long before I’m back there for seconds!

VITALS: The Senior Center is located at 956 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas. Phone: 754-3967. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. , Monday through Friday. A three- course lunch is $6; soup and salad alone are $3. Cash or checks accepted.

Tasty salads are a luncheon highlight at the Senior Center in San Andreas.

Prize winning chef Marilee Durocher recently joined the staff at the Senior Center in San Andreas.

Don Cuneo is a pioneer staff member at the Senior Center in San Andreas.