Local Chefs Earn Top Accolades at Company-Wide Cookoff 

SEABROOK, NH – On November 20th, chefs from across Senior Living Residences’ (SLR) 20 assisted living and memory support communities teamed up and competed for the honor of Top Chef. For this annual tradition, chefs were assigned a country and tasked with preparing a meal and dessert native to that country, filled with the foods and spices outlined in SLR’s Brain Healthy Cooking (BHC) program. This one-of-kind dining and nutrition program incorporates ingredients that reduce the effects of cognitive decline that come with aging.  

Chef Ken McCluskey of Compass on the Bay Memory Support Assisted Living in South Boston, MA and Randall Sherman of Cape Cod Senior Residences in Bourne, MA, won with their brain healthy twist on French cuisine. Dishes offered up were a bouillabaisse soup with a crust of french bread, and swan-shaped, cream-filled puff pastry for dessert. McCluskey also brought along freshly harvested tomatoes, asparagus, rosemary and potatoes that were planted by seed and grown by residents at Compass on the Bay’s community garden. 

Both chefs won the Top Chef distinction, as well as top marks for taste and appeal for their mouth-watering dishes. 2025 marked the first win for Sherman. McCluskey won awards in past competitions and was thrilled to be back and honored again by a diverse, six-person judging panel which included Sean Flynn of The Oysterman in Duxbury, MA, and Sara Baer Sinnott, from Oldways among others. Oldways, one of the original creators of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, has partnered with Senior Living Residences since 2015 offering educational programs, resources, and recipes about the Mediterranean diet that SLR shares with associates and residents. 

All of the chefs shared cuisine from a variety of different countries including Argentina, Greece, Italy, Ireland, and Australia. Throughout the year, these dinner dynamos prepare food from a different country each month as part of the Grab Your Passport! armchair travel program offered at each SLR community. The farm-to-table foods made with the freshest ingredients are served in a restaurant-style dining experience to seniors. 

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Senior Living Residences (SLR), based in Braintree MA, has been at the forefront of developing and providing service-enriched independent living, assisted living and Alzheimer’s care options for seniors in New England for more than 30 years. SLR currently operates 20 senior communities throughout the Northeast. More information about Senior Living Residences can be found at www.SeniorLivingResidences.com.