Providence Point celebrates customs
Dancers Kim Wright and Mike Hoffman entertain guests at Providence Point.
Sous chef Caleb Hicks and executive chef Scott Beattie decorate the Sachertorte before serving to Around the World guests.
These trained young men and women are a compliment to Providence Point as they serve with great ease at the retirement community. Pictured from the South Hills are Ashlee Crawford, James Masilunas, Alex Formosa, Morgan Kohler, Alex Plotnikov and Maura Teti.
F rom Greece to Italy, cultural journeys, sponsored by Providence Point in Scott Township, have previously taken its guests across the Atlantic to Old World countries. We’ve savored ethnic comfort foods and enjoyed traditional dancing and music featuring many of our ancestors’ favorites.
Recently, I joined the Around the World group of residents at Providence Point Retirement Community for another cultural experience. This time we traveled to Germany, and never left the South Hills. Cura Hospitality and Providence Point continued their adventure by embracing German cuisine and customs with an Oktoberfest feast prepared by executive chef Scott Beattie and sous chef Caleb Hicks.
With great anticipation for the harvest dinner, Providence Point guests David and Jackie Christopher, Harold and Bonnie Amos and John and Donna Viehman gathered with me in the round as we looked forward to another entertaining evening. We shared humorous family tales as we enjoyed an appetizer smorgasbord of tasty beer and cheese fondue, kept warm in a pretzel roll, and served with tender sausages, baby gherkins and pickled cauliflower. Conversations took a break as we savored the taste and tenderness of the braised pork and wild boar bratwurst, apple spaetzle and spinach strudel. A generous cut of rich dark chocolate cake, Sachertorte, said to have been first created in 1832 by Franz Sacher, was the perfect ending to this feast.
Following dinner, Pittsburgh folk dancers, the Alpen Schuhplattlers, performed classic Bavarian dances to the beats of talented musicians. Founded in 1964 by German immigrants and based on Pittsburgh’s North Side, their mission is to educate and foster the German culture by keeping Old World traditions alive throughout Western Pennsylvania.
“Our goal is to help our clients engage their residents through food entertainment events and experiences,” said Cheryl Torre Rastetter, Cura Hospitality general manager at Providence Point. “These events expand their knowledge about the world around them and helps our administrators promote their communities.”
Opened in 2009, Providence Point is a retirement community in Scott Township. Patio homes, apartments and healthcare accommodations fill its 32-acre campus. Cura Hospitality offers innovative dining services at Providence Point with a mission to enhance life around great-tasting food in healthcare facilities, retirement communities and hospitals.