Chef Daryeal Murphy captures seniors' cherished recipes in YouTube series

When CCL Hospitality Group approached Chef Daryeal Murphy to shoot a video series featuring recipes from seniors, he was all in.

As regional executive chef for Unidine, a division of CCL Hospitality Group that provides dining services to senior living and healthcare, Murphy enjoys doing live cooking demos and videos. He also was a musical performer when he was younger—a natural talent.

“I love food and engaging with people,” said the chef, adding that he developed his passion for cooking from his grandmothers.

So CCL Hospitality Group brought the idea to the residents of RiverMead Life Care Community in Peterborough, New Hampshire, possibly thinking they might be hesitant to volunteer. Each was asked “What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?”

“So many people came forward wanting to be involved, all eager to share their recipes,” said Murphy. “Food is a very important part of their lives.” CCL Hospitality ultimately chose six residents to be the “stars” of the video series, working with the company’s media team and Murphy to bring “Dinner with Daryeal” to life.

One of the senior stars is Grace, who shared her recipe for Middle Eastern Lamb with Cranberries. She first sampled the dish back in college, where she was a home economics education major. Grace leads off her video by describing the recipe and how she has made it for years. “It’s easy to serve. You just scoop it out of the casserole dish and put it over rice or noodles,” she said. “People at parties I’ve had over the years really enjoyed it.”

Then Chef Murphy takes over, doing a step-by-step demo of the recipe, explaining how to cut the lamb, dice the vegetables, sear the meat and finish the cooking. He plates the recipe and gives it a taste, exclaiming its deliciousness. In fact, Chef Murphy liked it so much, the dish now rotates into his menu.

To see Grace’s video, click here

“This was such a great tool for engagement; to get the residents out of their routines,” said Murphy. “Plus the videos are like a time capsule, and their memories are forever accessible on the Internet.”

Bill, another senior “star,” recollected a lobster bake he enjoyed with family during the pandemic. The diners had to socially distance, but the meal evoked such warm and delicious memories, he wanted to make them permanent to share with others. Chef Murphy did just that, recreating the feast.

To see Bill’s video, click here

Meredith, another RiverMead resident, shared her favorite childhood recipe called “Natalie’s Meatloaf,” named for her mother. Meredith even reveals the meatloaf’s “secret ingredient”—Wheaties cereal.

Chef Murphy is a bit skeptical and curious about the Wheaties, but he goes through the prep and cooking steps, tastes the meatloaf and becomes a fan. Instead of serving it as is, he chefs it up a bit by melting different types of cheese on a large roll and creating a hearty meatloaf sandwich.

To see Meredith’s video, click here

“Dinner with Daryeal” has been a big hit with the RiverMead residents as well as other senior living communities. “We’ve been doing premieres at different facilities, where all the residents gather in the media room to watch,” said Murphy. “We’ve also shown it at a number of conferences and have gotten great feedback.”

CCL Hospitality Group has also promoted the videos on social media and through its own marketing channels.

Chef Murphy’s hope is to continue visiting senior communities, circulating the videos and doing live demos of the recipes. “There is room for something like this to grow and take off,” said Murphy. The technology makes it possible—YouTube can preserve seniors’ taste memories and recipes for generations to come.