The Dining at The Springs is Completely Ship Shape

Dan Jalove, assistant dining services manager for The Springs at Monarch Landing, is accustomed to serving up only the very best. The U.S. Navy veteran was formerly a personal chef to Rear Admiral Tracy on the USS Harry S. Truman in Norfolk Virginia.

Jalove enlisted in the Navy immediately after high school. “When I graduated, I knew I wasn’t ready for college and I wanted to see the world. I knew that I didn’t physically want to be on the ground in a war. I wanted to support the cause, but not be in harms way,” he said. “I told the recruiter and said I wanted to do something that wouldn’t get me killed. He said, ‘okay, how about cooking?’ and I said ‘yes.’ It was the first time I cooked.”

Jalove said that for the first 18 months onboard the ship, he cooked bacon from 8 o’clock at night to 8 o’clock in the morning for the main dining area. “I never complained. I just did it,” he recalled. “My master chief saw that I wasn’t complaining and did my job, and realized I had potential. His friend was the Admiral, and he recommended me for a position with him.”

As a personal chef to the Admiral, Jalove moved to his private kitchen, preparing food for his private staff. “I went from cooking for 6000 on the ship, to thirty on his staff,” he said, adding that he worked with three other personal chefs. “The other chefs were higher ranking so I learned a lot from them. They showed me the ins and outs, and as the years went on, I worked my way up,” he said. The Admiral and his staff were not the only luminaries for whom he cooked. “We went to Bahrain and Dubai and cooked for some of their dignitaries, including members of the royal families,” said Jalove. “We also had a USO show onboard, and cooked for Robin Williams and John Elway. The owners of Carraberra’s were on board. They said if I ever wanted a job I should let them know. I got to cook for a lot of cool people.”

Jalove said that he wanted to stay in the military but was medically retired when he was diagnosed with diabetes. He attended Kendall College under the GI Bill, earning his degree in culinary arts. He then received his certification as a dietary manager. Jalove has worked in senior housing for nine years. “Dining is so different now for senior living than it was even less than a generation ago. Everything we do now is upscale and creative. I love being able to do my fancy cooking, while getting to know residents and hearing their awesome stories,” he said. “I also like seeing the expressions on their faces when you make something special for them, that they’ve been wanting. I love their smiles when they smell breakfast cooking, or have their first cup of coffee brought to them.”

At The Springs, he said, great food is a priority. In addition to being nutritional, Jalove said they strive to make the food diverse and flavorful. “We’re always getting compliments about our cooking. We have a new resident moving here who is so excited because she’s tried our food and can’t wait to have it all of the time. If I ever hear anything negative, I’ll go and search out the resident and find out what we can do to make the meal better next time,” he said.

“When people are investigating assisted living or skilled nursing, I tell them to check out the food. If it’s made with love and smells and looks good and tastes, good, it’s a place that will truly take care of your loved one.” The Springs at Monarch Landing, he added, is such a place.

Monarch Landing is a continuing care retirement community located on a scenic campus in Naperville, Illinois-named “one of America’s best places to live and retire” by Modern Maturity, and “the best city for early retirement” by Kiplinger. Monarch Landing offers independent living, promoting a vibrant life style for active seniors. The Springs at Monarch Landing offers assisted living memory support, rehabilitation and skilled nursing services, thus providing complete continuing care for seniors. Monarch Landing is owned by Senior Care Development and managed by Life Care Services. For additional information visit www.WelcomeToMonarchLanding.com or www.TheSpringsatMonarchLanding.com.