February 17, 2023
Here at The Admiral at the Lake, we’re looking forward to a full and lively holiday season. Every year, the halls fill with families and friends coming to join our celebrations, and this year is sure to be no different.
Over the holidays, we see a lot of guests come in to join residents for meals. This is a time for friends and families to enjoy each other’s company—and it’s important to us that we help everybody celebrate in comfort and style. Our culinary staff takes special care as they prepare festive brunches and celebratory lunches.
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Looking for Chicago-area holiday events?
Check out our list of December events and activities.
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Holiday Dining at The Admiral at the Lake
What holiday celebration would be complete without a great meal? Chris Gernand, Assistant Dining Director, said preparations are in full swing for holiday dining. With holidays like Hanukkah VI/Rosh Chodesh Tevet, Christmas and New Year’s falling on Mondays this year, brunches are planned for both the eves and the holidays themselves.
Traditional favorites will be offered, but Chris stressed the importance of having vegetarian and healthy options for holiday diners.
“We’ll have the traditional spread but along with that, we’ll also have some fish and vegetarian options,” he explained. “We have quite a few residents who like to maintain a very healthy diet, and in addition to the health benefits, they also recognize the benefits from a social-consciousness perspective that come from moving toward a more vegetable-based diet.”
The culinary staff strives to include healthy eating options year-round, he went on to say.
“We definitely give them the option to indulge if they wish, but we’ll always have menu items that try to stick to the healthy side, like fresh fruit and vegetables,” Chris said. He also said the kitchen team gets a lot of requests for their special salads with homemade dressings. “I have to say, the chefs here are very imaginative when putting together salads. There are a lot of trendy ingredients—it’s not iceberg lettuce with a tomato.”
But even with a strong focus on health, there’s still room for fun. For example, a champagne brunch is planned to ring in the new year, and the different departments are working on crafting gingerbread houses to create a Christmas village.
“The culinary department will do one as well, which, of course, we expect to be fabulous,” Chris joked.
Celebrating the Holidays at The Admiral at the Lake
Families and friends are always welcome at The Admiral at the Lake but especially during the holidays. In fact, so many people invite guests that extra seating is added to all dining venues to accommodate them.
Seeing the new faces is one of Chris’s favorite parts about the holidays at The Admiral at the Lake.
“From a staff side, the best part is the opportunity to meet family members,” he said. “For the residents, I think it’s the opportunity to get together with family members or create their new family that they’ve built here.”
In addition to holiday dining, the culinary team gets in the spirit by decorating a Christmas tree in the Waterfront, the Admiral’s fine dining room. Staying true to their colors, it’s decorated with kitchen utensils, especially seasonal ones like cookie cutters.
Not to be outdone, residents also get in on the fun by decorating the wooden cabinets outside the dining room doors.
“The residents over the last several years have opened them up to do their own little holiday displays,” Chris said, describing how each cabinet turns into a shadow box during December. Residents add their own special touch by setting up miniature houses, winter scenes with mirrors and cotton to look like snow and ice, and some original Christmas crafts. “It’s fun to see how clever and inventive people can be.”
Join Us at The Admiral at the Lake
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to celebrate the holidays at The Admiral at the Lake? Schedule a tour today to find out. After all, the more the merrier!