From tree to table

Locally sourced is taking on new meaning for one retirement community—at least when it comes to drizzling a short stack of pancakes.

Edgewood LifeCare Community is nestled among nearly 300 acres of conservation land and nature preserve on the shores of Lake Cochichewick in North Andover, Massachusetts.

The community is committed to using local ingredients as part of its farm-to-table dining philosophy. That includes tapping its own trees to make fresh maple syrup.

“The residents love it,” says Edgewood culinary services director Lou D’Angelo in a press release. “We have expanded it a little bit each year so that now we make enough to serve at breakfast for a month or two and to use in dishes we serve such as maple-baked salmon and salad dressing. It’s fun for the residents to know that the syrup comes from our own trees. It reinforces our farm-to-table philosophy because we’re utilizing our own property.”

D’Angelo taps 15 to 20 of the sugar maple trees on the community’s campus each spring for what has become a much-anticipated spring tradition that began about 10 years ago.

“It takes me to a place of comfort, a place of home,” says Jeannie Nicholas, Edgewood resident and educator. “In some ways, it reminds me of my childhood when my grandmother would make us pancakes for breakfast.”

Watch the video to learn more about the program:

Nicole Stempak

Nicole was Senior Editor at I Advance Senior Care and Long Term Living Magazine 2015-2017. She has a Journalism degree from Kent State University and is finalizing a master’s degree in Information Architecture and Management. She has extensive studies in the digital user experience and in branding online media. She has worked as an editor and writer for various B2B publications, including Business Finance.