NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

Chefs For Seniors Offers Healthy Meals With a Side of Independence

By Melinda Flynn

When Melissa Del Rosso of Old Tappan left the corporate world to spend more time with her two children, she tried her hand at real estate and found herself often connecting with families seeking solutions to living independently. It seemed a logical next step when her sister encouraged her to follow in her footsteps and become a franchisee in Chefs for Seniors, a business she had started in South Carolina. Melissa was impressed by the opportunity which provided training, marketing support and industry advocacy.

“She [My sister] saw the need for a service like this a year ahead of me, and she is now adding employees to meet the demand,” said Melissa, noting she may soon be hiring staff as her company grows.

Melissa didn’t have a background as a chef, however, she knew “a lot about homecooked meals,” she shared.

Currently, Melissa’s franchise of Chefs for Seniors serves Westwood, Paramus, Ridgewood, Hackensack, Mahwah, Tenafly, Glen Rock, Closter, Saddle River, Woodcliff Lake, Allendale, Oradell, Englewood, Fort Lee and more, offering a unique program to help seniors who want to remain at home or those who just want to enjoy an extra hand to help with shopping, cooking and clean up.

While some clients may find it had to let go and have someone else do the work, she noted, others enjoy the opportunity for interaction. For some, Melissa said, aromas from the kitchen can help stimulate appetites.

Menus are posted online for convenience. During a consultation, a client can indicate “likes” and “dislikes” as well as preferred food styles, such as Italian, Indian, Asian and others.

“We’ve been completely satisfied with the delicious meals she’s been preparing using her own recipes and our family traditional favorites,” said Mimi and Sandford Furman of Tenafly.

Requests for family traditions are not unique. One client wanted to

have a sweet and sour cabbage dish her family used to make, so Melissa researched recipes and her client was thrilled to have something she remembered. Citing a popular stuffed acorn squash menu offering, Melissa said some clients want the same thing every week. “It’s a great experience for me too,” she noted.” I can bring new foods for my family to try, such as a red curry Thai dish that that they liked.” Some clients request services once a week and some twice. Melissa usually makes two-to-four servings of four different meal options, such as roast beef with mashed potatoes and broccoli or ravioli with snap peas and mushrooms. She ends up with 8-12 containers with individual serving portions that can be eaten throughout the week when clients need them. While the service caters to the nutritional needs of seniors, people of all ages can access the at-home

Providing comfort and being available to its customers and its community has been a Cornell Surgical hall- service and prices vary for different package levmark since the company’s inception. John J. Shiffman els with a separate cost for groceries. A “custom” began the business out of Union City in 1945 and package depending on dietary needs specified by a moved to West New York in 1948. Howard Shiffman, doctor or dietitian can accommodate most dietary who became the company president and CEO in the concerns and diets. Menus for low-sodium, diaearly 1960s following the death of his father, moved betic, gluten-free, Kosher and renal diet meals can his operation to Bergenfield in 1995 following a 1993 be arranged. Melissa brings her own “toolbox” with fire that had destroyed much of his West New York pots, pans, knives and utensils into the home. showroom. While Howard Shiffman worked with his father, he “Life is an adventure,” she said. “Make the most of it wasn’t necessarily anticipating taking over the family by enjoying time with family and friends, accompabusiness when he headed off to Long Island University nied by some divine food.” in Brooklyn. He was studying to be a pharmacist – he received his license but never practiced – and played Bergen County’s Chefs for Seniors is one of four baseball for a bit. Once he began running the business, franchises in New Jersey and 75 franchises across though, working in a pharmacy and playing ball – he the country. The corporate arm of the franchise said he could never hit a curveball anyway – were no advocates for insurance coverage for fees and some longer an option. long-term care policies cover the service. It wasn’t easy maintaining the business as a teenager, For more information on the Bergen County franchise, visit but Howard Shiffman survived and ultimately thrived chefsforseniors.com though it took some time. He is retired now but still

their day-to-day lives. For historians, it’s a treasure trove.” pops into the office several days a week to lend a hand, offer advice and interact with customers. That treasure trove includes stories of the Marquis “My father died when I was 19,” he said. “My mother de Lafayette and James Madison spending time there Altogether it took Heidi, who works as a retail merchandise buyer for Burlingafter the Battle of Monmouth, which was one of the ton Stores, about a year to complete the book. was there as the eyes and ears of the company and it was a good, quality company. I commuted to school, first successful campaigns enjoyed by the colonial Spencer, who is now in remission, is a graduate of the University of Maryland but I was around every day. Municipalities, nursing army. Washington and his men “partied” according and works as an associate buyer for a clothing store, was fully supportive of her to Sullivan, before moving on.mother’s effort to share her story, Heidi said. homes, the public in general came to our aide and I just gave back to the people who helped and passed “I hope other families find comfort in this book,” said Heidi. “It’s what’s inside Sun Valley Farm, meanwhile, is on Rochambeau’s that really matters.” it forward.” Route, which is essentially Route 202. Count de Since its release, Heidi has donated copies to several non-profits that work to That approach of passing it forward is one that CorRochambeau led a pair of brigades from Suffern, help children facing hair loss while battling cancer, including Coming Up Rosies, N.Y. to Pompton in New Jersey as part of the jour-Sunrise Day Camp and Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center. nell Surgical continues to employ and not just a large scale. The individual means as much as the municney that would ultimately allow them to join WashIt has also received the endorsement of several medical professionals for its ington’s troops at the Battle of Yorktown. The farm uplifting message. ipality, the hospital or institution. Consider Diane Occidentale, a Bergenfield resident with Multiple remains the largest privately preserved farm in Ber“Cancer treatment, especially chemotherapy and radiation, has a profound effect Sclerosis. The 58-year-old has relied on Cornell to aid gen County. on each patient’s body image and no side effect has a more noticeable effect on in her care, thanks in large part to Jodi Silverman, how a patient looks than hair loss,” said Dr. David Loeb, Chief of the Pediatrics who is Adam Shiffman’s sister.The Hermitage and Sun Valley are part of a rich Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Montefiore Medical Center in the “When I first went there, I was very hesitant,” Occidentale said. “I didn’t know what to get but I wanted it to be pretty. Why do these things [walker, rollators history about which few people in Bergen County know. So, the next time you’re on Franklin Turnpike in Ho-Ho-Kus… Bronx. He also said, “This inspiring book addresses this issue head-on and it provides the powerful and supportive message that you can be awesome and beautiful and etc.] have to look like they should be in a hospital “Our job is to spread the word for The Hermitage,” full of love, even without hair.” Copies of “I Have No Hair and I Don’t Care” are available for $15.95 each at ALifeInZier said. “So, stop in and see what it is.” Print.com. ■

Pictured below: Courtesy of A Life In Print Continued on page 32

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