Senior community offers chef-driven dining venue options

Over the last decade, senior citizens are being given a choice when it comes to retired living. Moving from a retirement home they might own in SaddleBrooke to a full-service facility is one of those choices retirees begin to look at as they age.

However, even though retirees can’t stop aging, the current generation of Baby Boomers and beyond are controlling the markets and the required standards of living that must be provided by facilities such as Splendido, the independent living facility/community, in Oro Valley.

Baby Boomers expect retired living to have all the amenities without the hassle of cleaning or keeping up household chores such as landscaping.

And, that’s just the beginning. Beyond the basic living necessities, retirees are now requiring a community within a community. They want social interaction through wine clubs, travel clubs and more. It’s not just about the cliché Friday-night bingo anymore.

In a facility such as Splendido, residents also enjoy services from the movie theater, swimming pool and spas to only the best when it comes to dining choices.

The stereo type of senior living facilities over the years has been the food is more like cafeteria food – bland, with a lack of variety.

Not so at Splendido. By going through a tasting menu prepared by Executive Chef Jeremy Imes, one’s pallet could be impressed with the variety of main courses, salads, and most of all, the dessert.

For starters, a popular dish for residents is the spinach and grapefruit salad, which has a healthy portion of fresh spinach, radishes and sprouts topped with grapefruit sections and tossed with a citrus vinaigrette dressing.

Imes, who started with Splendido at opening in 2006, said it’s not all about sticking to one menu night after night.