By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS
mdrahos@record-eagle.com
June 29, 2009 06:50 am HONOR -- With dishes like pink vodka chicken, sweet potato fries and brown sugar bananas, The Gathering Place Benzie Senior Center could almost be a restaurant. Some say it's even better. "We've probably got better food at the Senior Center than most of the restaurants in Benzie County," said Executive Chef James Chiumino. He isn't just bragging. A lifelong chef who got his training at restaurants in Florida, Traverse City, Acme and Interlochen, Chiumino also ran the former Paparazzi restaurant at the Grand Traverse Resort. Now he and assistant chef Phil Gagliano -- owner/operator of the former Cafe Bravo in Beulah -- serve up lunch five days a week to scores of drop-in and homebound seniors in Benzie County. For Gagliano, who ran a photography studio in his native Chicago before moving to northern Michigan, it's more than a job. "I get a very personal sense of satisfaction from seeing the seniors coming in here and eating," he said. "My mother died last year; she was 97. When I cook for the seniors here, I'm cooking for my mom." Located in a former restaurant, the Senior Center boasts a fully equipped kitchen that includes dual convection ovens, two regular ovens topped by 12 gas burners, a deep fryer and a steamer for veggies. There's also a walk-in cooler and an industrial size freezer. "I'm in heaven," Chiumino said. "This is basically like being in a commercial kitchen, like a regular restaurant kitchen. A lot of smaller senior centers don't have the resources to cook the way I cook." The way he cooks is mostly from scratch. In fact, Chiumino is especially known for his creative soups, concocted from whatever he has on hand. Favorites include chicken Florentine, which he also makes for the Benzie County Empty Bowl project, barbecue or grilled chili (popular at the Beulah Winterfest), gazpacho, and cream of asparagus, using some of the 60 pounds of fresh asparagus the Senior Center orders every week in season. "They call me the soup Nazi," said Chiumino, who offers two soups and a full salad bar with every lunch entree. Another center favorite is the regular fish fry featuring pollock or fresh Lake Michigan fish -- trout, salmon or walleye from Ludington. It's served with sweet potato fries and cornbread, or cottage or American fries. Entrees can be Cuban roast pork or homemade Swedish meatballs, gumbo or chicken cacciatore. "I try to be creative instead of meatloaf, mashed potatoes," Chiumino said. "I try to incorporate some of the things I did at the Resort. That was $30 a plate." Sixty-and-older guests at the Senior Center can sample some of the same dishes for a suggested donation of $3 a meal. That includes the drink. "They feel very fortunate to have that quality of food and the variety," said Debra Sever, Benzie Council on Aging executive director. "And James makes sure he doesn't duplicate very often." Besides on-site lunches -- up to 125 a day -- the center also serves on-site breakfast every Saturday. Among the rotating dishes on the menu: scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit and yogurt, cinnamon rolls, poached eggs, make-your-own waffles, stuffed and regular hash browns and American fries, sausage links and patties, ham, bacon, corned beef hash, french toast and strata. "Every now and again we'll even sneak in eggs Benedict," Chiumino said. In addition to on-site meals, the center delivers hot and cold meals, breakfast bags and milk to homebound seniors on three different routes. "It's sad to say, but sometimes we're the only person they see all day," Gagliano said. "It's very rewarding. When I go home I know I did something that pleased somebody." Both chefs -- sometimes jokingly referred to as "the two Italians running the Senior Center" -- come by their love of cooking honestly. "My mom cooked in the hospitals and used to make Italian food like spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, pastas," said Gagliano, whose grandmother and grandfather on both sides of the family were from Italy. "I used to watch her cook and I picked up a lot of pointers." Chiumino's grandmother grew up in Calumet's "Swedetown" in the Upper Peninsula and made pasties the traditional way -- with pastry made from lard and filled with cubed round steak, rutabagas, onions and potatoes. Chiumino's first restaurant job was in Copper Harbor after high school graduation. "For some reason I had the knack of being able to cook," he said. "Anyone can go through the motions, but my food has flavor." Make that FLAVOR, Sever said, adding: "They do a lot with seasonings you wouldn't expect at a senior center." In addition to spices from the kitchen's 75- to 100-bottle spice rack, Chiumino prefers to season with herbs, garlic, onions and vegetables instead of salt. In fact, vegetables figure prominently in every meal, which he plans carefully around nutrition requirements. He's even tending a vegetable plot at the community garden center for fresh salad fixings. "He loves to cook and I love to cook, and it shows," Gagliano said. "The proof is in the pudding." MSG-Free Ranch Dressing (For crowd) 32 oz. jar mayonnaise 2 cups buttermilk 1&1/4 T. plus dash sugar 1/8 c. white vinegar 1/2 T. garlic powder 1/2 T. onion powder 1/4 T. dill weed 1/2 T. seasoned salt 1 c. sour cream Mix well and chill. Serve over salad, mix with matchstick carrots or use as dip for raw vegetables or chicken strips. -- James Chiumino Sweet Potato Oven Fries Sweet Potatoes Olive oil Seasoned or chef's salt Peel sweet potatoes. Dice into 1-inch cubes and roll in olive oil and seasoned or chef's salt. Spread on sheet pan in single layer. Bake at 375˚ for approximately 25 minutes or until golden and done, turning after 15 minutes. -- James Chiumino
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