Palm Terrace Chef Brings Daily Gourmet Fare to Retirement Complex : Latest Marketing Trend Takes Blandness Out of Dining Halls

Poached fresh salmon with fresh dill, roast Cornish game hen with wild rice, rack of lamb Dijonaise . . .

These were the entree choices on a recent evening at--no, not a high-ticket restaurant, but the Palm Terrace retirement complex in Laguna Hills.

Forget the stereotypical pallid creamed chicken or gray meat loaf held on a steam table when you step into the Palm Terrace dining room. Here, executive chef Peter Mathos demonstrates daily that food for seniors need not be predictable or boring.

Instead, entrees change daily and each evening there is a choice of seafood (delivered fresh daily), fowl (chicken, or perhaps duckling or pheasant) and meat (beef rib eye, prime rib or filet, veal, lamb or pork).

“The hardest part,” said one resident, “is the decision. Especially when Peter has swordfish, chateaubriand and quail all on the same night.”

Two Fresh Vegetables

The 35-year-old chef always prepares at least two fresh vegetables--often carved or stuffed for eye appeal--and a choice of three starches. He offers fresh fruit or tossed green salads and from-scratch soup, which varies from seafood bisque to fresh mushroom.

Dinner and breakfast are served to residents in the gracious, carpeted dining room at linen-topped tables, abloom with fresh flowers.

One retiree described breakfast: “like in a nice hotel coffee shop,” with selections including eggs prepared to order, two hot cereals and a special such as French toast or Belgian waffles.

“And,” one woman said, “the plates always look pretty, with a twist of orange or a big ripe strawberry.”

“The meals overall are excellent,” said an 89-year-old. “I’ve had several parties in the private dining room, all beautifully done.”

Said a friend: “People here really look forward to mealtime. They can’t wait to get in. The lobby will be filled at 4:15 and service doesn’t begin till 4:45.”

In addition to preparing breakfast and dinner for more than 160 people, aged mid-70s to 100, in the apartment complex and 50 in the new Palm Terrace medical wing, Mathos demonstrates his talents with monthly theme parties. They vary from a five-course French dinner for Mother’s Day to an Octoberfest with all the wursts, sauerbraten and beer.

And in July, when, for the third year Palm Terrace hosted a gala benefit for Saddleback Hospital, Mathos pulled out all the stops for 400 guests with three different buffet extravaganzas. And that didn’t count the shrimp bar--100 pounds, heaped in a giant clam shell carved of ice, backed by ice carvings of a swordfish and two sea horses.

Party-goers sampled Spanish fare, which highlighted suckling pig with carnitas , ceviche, paella, bay scallops with cured ham and saffron sauce, frogs’ legs, Barcelona-style rice salad and stuffed mussels.

A French/Cajun buffet spiced the evening with jambalaya, blackened redfish, seafood gumbo, sweetbreads with mushrooms and oysters and Louisiana roast beef.

The Italian tables showcased a score of different antipasti, half a dozen pastas and carved fruits, Cornish game hens, lamb chops, jumbo shrimp and chateaubriand cooked on the charcoal grill.

All this made for several intense weeks for Mathos and his staff, which includes sous chef Darren Denny and pastry chef Behinez Entezam, who prepared 3,000 petits fours, from fresh fruit tarts to eclairs.

So how did Palm Terrace get a chef with the capability and flair to plan and execute such a spectacular feast, as well as to present choice fare on a daily basis? Why isn’t Mathos in the kitchen of a top restaurant or catering firm?

Well, he has been. Born of “restaurant stock,” Mathos determined to have nothing to do with this demanding business. Then his father became ill and Mathos, an inexperienced 17-year-old, stepped in to run his dad’s restaurant. That was the beginning of a career that took him to the kitchens of restaurants serving classic French, continental, Spanish, Russian and kosher food and to Parties Plus caterers in Beverly Hills.

New Concept

When he received the offer to work in a retirement complex, “It took me a month to decide. But I saw a chance to diversify, to become a food and beverage manager, to gain recognition in the community, to bring the culinary arts to upscale facilities. It was a brand new concept (Palm Terrace opened in 1985), so they gave me all the freedom I could ever want.”

Other retirement facilities, he acknowledges, now are also “marketing meals. They’re the one thing people really look forward to,” Mathos said.

At Palm Terrace, Mathos said, “I present dishes any fine hotel or restaurant would do. The only modification is watching cholesterol and salt, relying on herbs for flavor.”

Do residents ever complain that the food is “too fancy?” He admits he wondered about acceptance of his cuisine, so he offers entrees without sauces. However, only about 10 of the residents forgo his sauces.

Also, with residents dining there 365 days a year, Mathos realizes they don’t want veal Oscar everyday. “We also do things like a chopped steak with Bordelaise sauce, veal liver with grilled onions, lasagna, chicken and dumplings.”

Diners do tell him, however, that portions are too large. He is continually cutting down to accommodate smaller appetites, because “I know too much food can be a turn-off,” Mathos said.

What are the pluses of this job, where he averages a 60-hour week? The ongoing relationship with residents. “They always call me by my first name, because they feel I’m their own chef, their son. I have a great rapport with many. They tell me their personal problems, ask about my fiance and want to see her,” Mathos said.

They also worry about him. “He tries so hard. He’s overdoing himself and you never can please everyone,” said one woman.

Each evening Mathos makes an effort to go out and visit every table, listening, keeping retirees involved, inviting their opinion. “They hate to say anything negative,” he said, and he must continually reassure them he needs their honest comments. “I love the challenge of trying to turn the obstinate around,” Mathos said. “And whenever I hear, ‘Why don’t we ever have . . . ?’ I make it a point to serve that dish--the very next day.”

Here are some recipes from Peter Mathos, Palm Terrace executive chef. These recipes are scaled down for six servings for seniors’ appetites.

PARISIENNE TWIN

6 petite filets mignons

3 tablespoons oil

6 canned artichoke bottoms

1 tablespoon butter

1/8 pound cooked Dungeness crab meat

Prepared Bernaise or Hollandaise sauce

Saute filets in oil to desired doneness. Saute artichoke bottoms in butter and place 1 on each filet. Saute crab in same skillet to heat. Fill each artichoke bottom with crab. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons Bernaise sauce over each serving. Makes 6 servings.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE

2 bunches fresh spinach

1 small onion, finely chopped

Butter or margarine

Salt, pepper

Ground nutmeg

Flour

3 boned skinless chicken breasts, cut in half

2 tablespoons oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup Madeira

6 slices mozzarella

Rinse spinach well. Saute spinach and onion in 2 tablespoons butter. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside and let drain.

Lightly flour chicken breasts and saute in oil, browning on both sides. Cook until done, 8 to 10 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

Add shallot and Madeira. Bring to simmer, stirring lightly. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter for smoothness and texture. Top chicken breasts with spinach and mozzarella. Place in 350 degree oven just long enough to melt cheese. Makes 6 servings.

SWEETBREADS A LA PALM TERRACE

2 pairs sweetbreads

Water

Flour

3 tablespoons oil

1 shallot, diced

12 medium mushrooms, sliced

12 large oysters, sliced in 3

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons butter

Rinse sweetbreads well. Poach in water 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly firm. Lift from liquid and place in dish or pan, weighting with another heavy pan, dish or heavy object, in order to compress sweetbreads. Refrigerate to cool.

Peel away membrane, if any, from sweetbreads. Slice into medallions, about 1/4 inch thick. Flour medallions and saute in oil to brown. Remove from pan and saute shallot, mushrooms and oysters. Add brandy and cream. Reduce by half or until thickened.

Stir in parsley and butter just before serving. Pour over sweetbreads. Makes 6 servings.

Note: If sauce is not thick enough, add roux or cornstarch to desired thickness.

SWORDFISH WITH BERCY BUTTER

1/2 cup butter

1 medium shallot, chopped

1 teaspoon capers

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Juice of 1/2 small lemon

Dash white wine

6 lemon halves

2 pounds fresh swordfish, grilled

Soften butter. Blend in shallot, capers, pepper, parsley, lemon juice and wine. Pipe butter onto lemon halves or on top of grilled fish. Makes 6 servings.