Hi Savannah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been working in the industry for almost 10 years. In this time, I have worked just about every job in the industry from server to bartender to private chef including running my own catering business. My passion for food started in the kitchen with my grandmother when I was just old enough to hold a whisk.
I graduated from Johnson and Wales University with a Culinary Degree in 2016, and have been building my knowledge of the culinary industry ever since. I got a taste of the hospitality industry as a cook at Ocean Prime in Denver, Colorado during culinary school. After graduating, I moved over to the Four Seasons Hotel and Resort in Dallas as a line chef then moved up to the Room Service Manager position for a while to try my hand at front of house. My passion for senior living started with my very first job in high school while serving, at The Conservatory in Keller, where my grandparents lived at the time. After my time at the Four Seasons Hotel and Resort, I was asked to return to senior living as a sous chef, then quickly rose through the ranks to be an Executive Chef/ Director of Hospitality within a year. I was also a part of the corporate traveling team during my time with HarborChase before acquiring the position I am at today. I was recognized in 2020 and had the opportunity to share my story in the Dallas 40 Under 40 column.
Today, I am a divisional director of culinary for Morada Senior Living, a regional brand of Discovery Senior Living. I have been at my position for a little over a year now and enjoy getting to mentor the chefs at 18 communities across Texas and New Mexico. This year I have been accepted into Argentum’s esteemed LEAD program for their 2022 course.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career has been being accepted by the industry at my age and stature. I do not have the luxury of walking into a new job and instantly having the respect that someone in that role would have upon entry. Instead, when I walk into a building as the new executive chef and the cooks see a 5-foot 3-inch blonde “girl”, they instantly assume I have a lack of experience. Some may find this a deterrent, but I have found it to be a welcome challenge. When this happens to me anytime I walked into a new community, I have the opportunity to show people that a leader is not about age nor stature, but it is a mindset and is measured based on the impact that person makes on everyone they come in contact with.
I love what I do, I’m good at it, and my teams quickly come to this realization no matter where I’m at or what position I’m working at the time. I believe passion overcomes any hurdle placed in the path of success.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business
?Morada Senior Living was created in January of 2021 as a separate regional brand of Discovery Senior Living. I joined the team in March 2022 as Director of Culinary Service, a role that I have shaped following the launch of MSL in January 2022. Our company’s evolution created many unique challenges for our organization. Seeded with 18 communities previously managed by three separate legacy companies, I was charged with the creation and implementation of culinary policies and procedures, the field’s adoption of and adherence to a menu system, development, and implementation of a staffing model, along with formulation of the culinary budget & capital improvement plan.
Morada also invests in ongoing learning and enhanced culinary standards through ongoing trainings and seminars for all chefs and each are supported by regional culinary support to achieve culinary excellence together. By offering our team all the tools they need for success, we have cultivated a culture of empowerment and creativity in the culinary departments that our residents can taste, enjoy and share in their experience at Morada. The most recent example of this was hosting a culinary conference that I single-handedly conceived and organized. All 18 chefs were invited to participate in this curated program, with topics ranging from hospitality standards, menu execution to budget control, peer department support, and engaging team-building activities. I created an agenda that facilitated an environment conducive to chefs sharing experiences and solutions, further cementing chef relationships.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I have always been a tomboy. As a child, I would go on hunting trips with my father out to the lease where we would build fires and sleep in tents while my mother and sister stayed home for a spa weekend. My teachers would always find me out playing football with the boys while the little girls played with dolls and talked about their fairy tale weddings. When I’m working, I tend to be firm and fair, very professional in my approach to networking, and socialize cautiously but in my personal life, I’m fun-loving, sarcastic, and love to talk for hours with the people I care about most.
Culinary has been my passion since I was old enough to hold a whisk under the apprenticeship of my grandmother in her quaint country kitchen. Through high school, I competed in culinary competitions and joined social groups that would push me further in culinary and business management. I think what made me love the fast-paced kitchen environment was the challenge of it all. Not everyone can handle the heat nor the rush that you feel when the kitchen printer won’t stop spitting out tickets in the midst of a rush… I still hear that machine printing sound in my dreams sometime! I’m extremely competitive, so after figuring out I was good at cooking and management, I set my sights on being the absolute best I could be at it. My competitive nature bleeds over into my personal life as well so you can often find me axe throwing with friends or bowling on the weekends.
Culinary has been my passion since I was old enough to hold a whisk under the apprenticeship of my grandmother in her quaint country kitchen. Through high school, I competed in culinary competitions and joined social groups that would push me further in culinary and business management. I think what made me love the fast-paced kitchen environment was the challenge of it all. Not everyone can handle the heat nor the rush that you feel when the kitchen printer won’t stop spitting out tickets in the midst of a rush… I still ear that machine printing sound in my dreams sometime! I’m extremely competitive, so after figuring out I was good at cooking and management I set my sights on being the absolute best I could be at it. My competitive nature bleeds over into my personal life as well, you can often find me axe throwing with friends or bowling on the weekends.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.moradaseniorliving.com/about-morada-senior-living/morada-senior-living-leadership/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prioritiesenterprises/
