Hot culinary competition at the Atria in Glen Cove

From television screens to local barbeques, cook-offs have become a staple of modern culinary culture, and at Atria Senior Living in Glen Cove, the excitement surrounding the community’s annual “Chef Showdown” rivals any cooking competition around.

Now in its fifth consecutive year, the July 18 showdown attracted dozens of Atria residents to both watch the competition and enjoy dishes containing this year’s secret ingredient: peppers. Sharon Ellenbogen, director of culinary services at the Atria Glen Cove, and Roberto Herrera, owner of 5 De Mayo Mexican Restaurant in Westbury, faced off to see who would create the superior dish.

Along with Atria residents and their family members, three Glen Cove community residents were in attendance to serve as judges for the event. Lorin Mac Trinity, CEO of Glen Cove Central Directory; Shannon Vulin, head of marketing and IT for the Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce; and Connie DiLorenzo, clinical liaison at the Glengariff Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Glen Cove, comprised the panel of judges.

John O’Neil, National Operations Specialist for Atria Senior Living, said the showdowns, which take place at over 200 Atria communities across the country, serve as both an important way for Atria chefs to “show off their talents” and bring local communities together.

“Some of our guests here are from the Chamber of Commerce, so just to get our word out there and let everybody know who we are and what we do is important,” O’Neil said. “Everybody thinks of senior living food as meatloaf and mashed potatoes but Sharon [Ellenbogen] is a country club trained chef with years of experience and our residents love her food.”

Cynthia Romito, community sales director at the Atria Glen Cove, added that the showdown offers the opportunity to “create something different” for the residents by providing them with an “event feel” and a lasting sense of community.

“At Atria we’re a lot about being with other people and engaging our residents in food and activities,” Romito said. “This is the perfect event and opportunity for us to bring them both together and have them enjoy a competition show of food while they’re all together.”

For her part, Ellenbogen prepared vegetable latkes filled with red, orange and yellow bell peppers, along with corn and zucchini. She topped off her dish with a roasted red bell pepper and goat cheese sauce. Meanwhile, Herrera crafted steak and chicken fajitas with grilled peppers and onions served in a flour tortilla.

While serving her dish to both the judges and Atria residents, Ellenbogen said the Atria provides her and the culinary team with “a lot of creative freedom” to design their menus, something the “Chef Showdown” helps to showcase.

“The importance of the event is to meet other chefs in the area and highlight what we can provide for our residents,” Ellenbogen said, “the type of creativity and the type of high quality food that we can do on an everyday basis.”

Herrera, who also owns the company Quality Food Catering and served as the executive chef at Bryant and Cooper Steakhouse for 18 years prior to opening 5 De Mayo, said it was pleasure to attend to the cook-off, and he emphasized that seniors “deserve to enjoy” great food.

“I’ve also catered at the Glen Cove Senior Center and seniors are just as important as anyone else so we have to give them quality food,” he said.

Prior to judging, Atria resident Eileen Essner offered high praise for both dishes.

“They were excellent,” she said. “We loved it and we ate everything!”

Resident Jerry Sullivan remarked that the food was “very tasty” and expressed his gratitude for the community he’s found at the Atria Glen Cove, which he said is “marvelous.”

With lively music filling the room and refreshments passed around to accompany the dishes, the judges announced that Ellenbogen had won their votes, much to the delight of the Atria residents.