Park Springs Showcases Fine Dining During Taste of Atlanta 2015

During Taste of Atlanta 2015, the city’s largest food festival that will be held in Midtown Atlanta from September 25-27, Park Springs’ Executive Chef Derrick Henry and his culinary team will represent the fine dining experiences offered at the five different venues at Park Springs, Atlanta’s premier retirement community.

Living your best life

“We are here to show that fine dining is a major part of living your best life at Park Springs,” says Chef Henry, a Certified Executive Chef through the American Culinary Federation (ACF), who has run the Springhouse Grill, the Park Springs Pub, the Market Café Bistro, the Main Dining Room and the Cobblestone Dining Room since 2007. “Sophistication, quality, creativity and healthy choices are always on the menu.”

Park Springs’ Members appreciate the wide variety of both elegant and casual menu items that are served year-round on the 54-acre Park Springs campus. As Chef Henry explains, “Many of our Members are well-traveled, have sophisticated palates, and like to try new dishes. They know what they like!”

“There is no reason to lower your expectations or bore your taste buds when you move to a retirement community. It is our goal to offer interesting, creative, well-prepared menu items that rival those found in any top restaurant in town,” says Chef Henry, who was recently honored as ACF–Atlanta Chefs Association’s 2014 Chef of the Year.

Fresh, local and innovative

Like Chef Henry, Shawn Jackson, Park Springs’ Director of Food & Beverage, is equally eager to highlight Park Springs’ focus on fresh, local and innovative cuisine with the more than 25,000 visitors who are expected to attend the three-day food festival.

“Sharing fine food and a good glass of wine is one of the most satisfying ways for our Members to enjoy each other’s company. In addition, our dining venues offer many different options to entertain visiting friends and family – from upscale dining in the Springhouse Grill to a fresh salad on the terrace outside the Market Café Bistro,” notes Jackson. “In addition, Chef Henry and I also work closely with our Park Springs dietitian so that we always offer a variety of well-balanced and healthy choices.”

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About Park Springs:

Park Springs (opened in 2004), owned and operated by Isakson Living, is a 54-acre campus style Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) surrounded by Stone Mountain Park. Park Springs is a vibrant community of active adults 62 and above who live in spacious private homes and enjoy a club-inspired lifestyle. Park Springs includes 398 Independent Living Units; Health Center with 42 SN beds, 14 Dementia beds and 20 AL suites; Clubhouse with variety of dining options and common areas; and Fitness Center with lap pool, therapy pool and exercise room. Members live in a detached single-family home, cottage home or condominium-style villa. The community provides food and beverage services in diverse settings and many social, educational and enrichment opportunities.

Residential options offering a higher level of services and care are also available on campus. These include home health, assisted living suites, memory care or the Medicare-certified skilled nursing and rehabilitation center within Cobblestone at Park Springs. As situations change, Members can move into the type of home or environment that best meets their needs.

www.parksprings.com | www.isaksonliving.com

About Executive Chef Derrick Henry:

After completing his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, he was offered an externship at Le Bernardin in Manhattan, working for renowned Chef Eric Ripert. From there, Chef Henry worked at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Frangello’s, a private catering company in New York. He went on to serve at The Fairfield Tara Hotel in New Jersey, and also worked under the direction of Executive Chef Enio Riga, personal chef of Johnny Carson of The Tonight Show. Before joining Park Springs in 2007, Chef Henry worked at Atlanta’s iconic restaurant, Pano & Paul’s in Buckhead and with the BMW Corporation as Executive Chef in their head office in Park Ridge (NJ).

About Taste of Atlanta:

Taste of Atlanta packs the bold flavors, colorful personalities and vibrant energy of an entire city into 10 blocks in Midtown Atlanta to turn tasters into diners. Since its inception in 2002, Taste of Atlanta has become an annual pilgrimage for thousands of food, wine, beer and cocktail lovers from across the country. Taste of Atlanta supports several Atlanta non-profit groups, including Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters, Atlanta’s Table, Georgia Organics and Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia and ProStart®.

Indulge in the city’s flavors Friday through Sunday, September 25-27 in Midtown at Tech Square to truly savor what makes Atlanta the food capital of the South. For more information, visit www.tasteofatlanta.com.

Photo’s: Derrick Henry, Executive Chef, Park Springs; Shawn Jackson, Director of Food & Beverage, Park Springs