Surpass All American Slider Tasting Guide

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

SURPASS LIVING Celebrating Freedom

Chef Culinary Detailed Program Guide All-American Slider Tasting Designed for Celebrating Freedom Week

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

PROGRAM SNAPSHOT Item

Details

Theme Day

Day 1: Let Freedom Ring

Program Type

Chef Culinary

Suggested Length

60 minutes

Group Style

Chef-led live cooking demonstration, tasting, family/team connection, and voting

Program Purpose

This chef-led tasting invites residents, family members, and team members to watch the chef in action, enjoy at least three small slider tasting options, compare flavors side by side, and vote for a community favorite. The mood should feel like a summer picnic celebration with great food, easy conversation, and plenty of resident choice.

RECOMMENDED 60-MINUTE FLOW Time

Activity

0-5 min

Welcome guests, introduce the chef, and explain the three colorcoded slider options and voting process.

5-20 min

Chef showcases skills through a short live cooking, grilling, assembling, or finishing demonstratn. Residents observe color,

20-35 min

aroma, texture, and presentation.

Serve tasting plates with all three slider options together.

Residents, families, and team members taste, compare, and return for another small bite as needed.

35-45 min

Voting: each participant places the matching colored square into the matching color voting box for their favorite slider.

45-60 min

Count votes with resident support, announce the community favorite, invite recipe submissions, and capture a BRANCH story moment.

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

BEFORE THE PROGRAM Area

Preparation

Dining Services Prep

Prepare at least three slider tasting options in small portions.

Plan a brief live cooking, grilling, assembling, or finishing moment so residents can see the chef showcase skill.

Use a different colored toothpick for each slider option.

Prepare tasting plates so each participant receives all three slider samples at the same time.

Have water available.

Recreation Prep

Set up three color-coded voting boxes or bowls that match the slider toothpick colors.

Cut or purchase colored paper squares that match the toothpick colors. Each participant receives one voting square after tasting.

Invite residents, team members, families, and visitors to attend.

Set up a recipe drop-off box so guests can submit favorite slider, burger, cookout, or family recipes for a future chef feature.

Print the one-page event flyer and post it in the lobby, dining area, activity calendar station, and family communication area.

Room Set-Up

Arrange chairs around tables or in a semi-circle near the chef demonstration area.

Set the chef demonstration table where residents can see.

Place tasting plates, napkins, water, voting boxes, and recipe drop-off box within easy reach.

Use simple red, white, and blue decorations to create a summer picnic feel without clutter.

MATERIALS Category

Materials

Food and Serving

At least three small slider tasting options prepared by Dining Services Mini tasting plate with all three options served together Napkins and water

Serving trays Color Labels

Colored toothpicks for each slider option - see link

Voting Materials

Three matching color voting boxes or bowls - see link Colored paper squares that match the toothpick colors - see link Dry erase board or small score sheet Blue dry erase marker

Recipe Contest

Recipe drop-off box - see link Blank recipe cards - see link One-page event flyer inviting residents, families, and team members to attend and share recipes

Atmosphere

Speaker or tablet with arrival music Red, white, and blue tablecloth or existing community linen Optional mini flags or red, white, and blue bunting Camera or phone for photo moments

Purchase / Search Links Supply Link

Supply Link

• Colored toothpicks

• Colored voting boxes / ballot boxes

• Colored paper squares for voting

• Recipe drop-off box

• Blank recipe cards

• Serving trays

• Red, white, and blue tablecloth

• Mini flags for table decorations

• Red, white, and blue bunting

• Classic summer picnic arrival music

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

SLIDER TASTING OPTIONS Dining Services should prepare at least three slider tasting options. Use small portions so residents can taste all three on one plate and compare them side by side. The chef may choose options based on the community menu, resident preferences, and available ingredients.

Color Label

Option

Description

Red Toothpick

Classic All-American Slider

Mini beef or turkey slider with cheese, ketchup, or a familiar topping.

Blue Toothpick

BBQ Picnic Slider

Mini pulled chicken, turkey, or plant-forward BBQ slider with a small amount of sauce.

Green Toothpick

Garden or Veggie Slider

Mini veggie patty, grilled vegetable, or cheese slider for a lighter option.

COLOR-CODED VOTING SET-UP Step

Details

1. Label each slider by color

Each slider option receives a colored toothpick. Use the same colors across the tasting plate, voting boxes, and colored voting squares.

2. Give each participant one voting square

After tasting, each voter receives one colored square or chooses one color square that represents their favorite slider.

3. Match the square to the box

Participants place their colored square into the matching color voting box. If the red toothpick slider is the favorite, the participant places a red square into the red voting box.

4. Count and celebrate

A resident helper and staff member count the squares and announce the community favorite.

Sample Color Key Toothpick / Box Color

Slider Option

Red

Classic All-American

Blue

BBQ Picnic

Green

Garden or Veggie

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

DETAILED FACILITATOR SCRIPT Stage

What to Do

Suggested Language

1. Welcome

Invite residents, family members, and team

Welcome to our All-American Slider Tasting.

members into the tasting. Name the event and

Today our chef will showcase three small slider

orient everyone to the process.

options. You will receive all three on one plate, taste at your own pace, and then vote for your favorite using a colored square.

2. Introduce the chef

Give the chef a moment of visibility and pride.

Chef is going to show us a little of the cooking or

Invite residents to observe the demonstration.

finishing process. As you watch, notice the color, smell, sound, and care that goes into the food.

3. Live cooking moment

Chef demonstrates grilling, assembling, saucing,

We are watching the sliders come together. What

garnishing, or plating. Keep it short and visible.

do you notice first: the smell, the color, the bread, or the way it is being prepared?

4. Present the plate

Serve all three slider samples together on one

Each plate has three slider tastes. The color of the

tasting plate, each marked with a different colored

toothpick tells us which slider is which. Take your

toothpick.

time. You may taste, look, smell, or simply enjoy the group.

5. Taste and compare

Let residents compare the sliders side by side.

You can try a small bite of each one, then go back

Encourage another bite if helpful.

to the one you want to taste again. Which one feels most familiar, surprising, smoky, fresh, soft, or summery?

6. Explain voting

Show the colored boxes and colored paper

When you are ready, choose the colored square

squares. Demonstrate matching the color square

that matches your favorite slider. Then place it

to the color box.

into the matching color box. Red goes with red, blue goes with blue, green goes with green.

7. Count and announce

Invite a resident helper to count with staff

Our community favorite today is... Thank you for

support. Announce the favorite in a celebratory

tasting, voting, and helping us choose. Every vote

tone.

helped tell the story of what our community enjoyed today.

8. Invite recipe submissions

Point out the recipe drop-off box and invite

Do you have a favorite burger, slider, cookout, or

residents, staff, and families to contribute.

family recipe? Write it down and place it in the recipe box. At a future date, residents can select a recipe for Chef to feature.

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

RESIDENT ROLES, ADAPTATIONS, AND TIPS Area

Details

Resident Roles

Color key reader Colored square passer Voting box helper Vote counter with staff support Water or napkin helper Recipe box helper Community favorite announcer

Adaptations

Use small portions and soft textures as appropriate for each resident.

Serve all three options together so residents can compare side by side.

Allow participation through looking, smelling, touching the voting square, choosing a color, or watching.

Offer two-choice support when needed: red or blue? blue or green?

Allow a staff member to place the voting square in the box after the resident chooses.

Facilitator Tips

Invite opinions, not memory recall.

Keep the mood festive and relaxed.

Use sensory words: savory, smoky, soft, crisp, warm, fresh, sweet, tangy, familiar.

Name contributions aloud so residents feel seen.

Give residents enough time to taste and compare before voting.

Invite team members to participate alongside residents, not just observe from the side.

SUGGESTED DECORATIONS • Red, white, and blue tablecloth or existing community linen.

• Small flags in low vases or cups. Keep decorations low so residents can see one another.

• Three colored voting boxes placed together near the color-coded tasting area.

• Recipe drop-off box with blank recipe cards and pens.

• A simple welcome table with the flyer, recipe cards, and voting materials.

ARRIVAL MUSIC Use cheerful, familiar, picnic-style music as residents arrive. Suggested choices: “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” or a light instrumental summer picnic playlist. Keep volume low enough for conversation.

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

STORYTELLING AND BRANCH CONNECTION This is the kind of program that should make the whole community smile. The chef gets to shine, residents get to be the official taste-testers, team members and families get pulled into the fun, and everyone has a simple way to be part of the celebration. The story is not just “we served sliders.” The story is that residents helped shape community life by noticing, comparing, voting, sharing recipes, and choosing what the chef may feature next.

BRANCH Link

How It Shows Up

Belonging

Everyone has a place at the tasting table: residents, families, team members, visitors, and the chef. Whether someone tastes, votes, watches, laughs, or cheers, they are part of the moment.

Respect

Residents are approached as people with opinions, preferences, and good taste. Their votes matter, and their comments help guide the experience.

Autonomy

The color-coded vote makes choice visible and easy. Residents can choose a favorite slider, submit a recipe, or help select a future chef feature.

Nurture

Food, hospitality, aroma, and presentation create comfort. The chefled format shows care in action and turns a tasting into a warm community experience.

Connection

The event creates natural conversation between residents, staff, family members, dining, and recreation. It gives everyone something fun and easy to talk about.

Hope

The recipe box keeps the excitement going. Today’s tasting can lead to a future chef feature chosen by residents.

FAMILY, TOUR, AND COMMUNITY SHARING SCRIPT “Today our community came together for an All-American Slider Tasting, and it was such a fun Celebrating Freedom Week moment. Chef showcased three slider creations, residents tasted all three side by side, and everyone voted for the community favorite using colored voting squares. What made this special was the energy around the table: residents sharing opinions, staff joining in, families participating, and the chef getting to hear what people enjoyed most. This is BRANCH in action: belonging, respect, autonomy, nurture, connection, and hope all showing up through one simple, joyful food experience.”

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

PHOTO AND STORY PROMPTS Photo Moment

BRANCH Story Angle

Chef presenting or finishing the sliders.

Capture the chef in action so families and visitors can see dining as part of the experience, not just the service. This highlights Nurture and Respect by showing the care, skill, and preparation behind the tasting.

A resident looking at the color-coded tasting plate.

This photo tells the story of Autonomy. Residents are not passively receiving food; they are noticing, comparing, and preparing to choose.

A resident placing a colored square into the matching voting box.

This is the “resident voice” moment. It shows choice in a way that is visible, simple, and meaningful.

Team members and residents tasting together.

This highlights Belonging and Connection. Staff are not standing on the outside of the activity; they are joining residents in a shared community celebration.

The recipe drop-off box with submitted recipe cards.

This shows Hope because the program continues beyond one event.

Resident and family recipes can inspire a future chef feature and keep people looking forward to what comes next.

The winning slider color and name on a dry erase board.

This is a great closing story image. It shows that the group made a decision together and that the community favorite came from resident, family, and team member participation.

Chef Culinary | All-American Slider Tasting | Surpass Living

VOTING SET-UP AND PRINTABLE MINI SIGNS Set up the voting boxes before the tasting begins. After tasting, each participant chooses the colored square that matches the slider they liked best and places it in the matching color box.

Voting Box

Voting Square

Slider Match

Red Box

Red Square

Red toothpick slider

Blue Box

Blue Square

Blue toothpick slider

Green Box

Green Square

Green toothpick slider

Printable Mini Signs Sign

Text

Taste

Taste all three slider samples.

Take your time.

Go back for another small bite if you need to compare.

Vote

Place your colored square in the matching color box for your favorite slider.

Celebrate

Our community favorite is chosen by residents, families, and team members together. Thank you for joining the tasting.