October 2021 Newsletter

St Luke's Home Newsletter

October 2021

We continue to provide a safe harbor at St Luke’s Home. Unfortunately, we also continue to battle COVID-19. The Delta Variant is surging, and we must stay strong in this fight. We now require that all visitors and vendors show proof of vaccination or have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before their visit. It was a tough decision, but it ensures the safety of everyone living, working, and visiting St Luke’s Home. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation to make the welfare of our family a priority.

If you haven’t got your Silver Chef Culinary Competition tickets yet, do it now (click here) because tickets are selling out quickly. This delicious event is right around the corner – Saturday, October 23rd, from Noon to 3:00 pm. It will be an exciting afternoon of culinary delights, music, and comradery. The event will be set up outside with a focus on everyone’s enjoyment, safety, and comfort. There is no better way to support St Luke’s Home and Tucson’s Assisted Living Chefs than to come out on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and have some scrumptious fun.

Also, I would like to thank the Board of Directors and the staff of St Luke’s Home for allowing me the role as the permanent Executive Director. I am honored, and I look forward to being part of St Luke’s Home’s bright and sustainable future.

Silver Chef Culinary Competition

Let’s get ready to s-a-m-p-l-e!!! The Silver Chef Culinary Competition is just weeks away on Saturday, October 23rd. Foodies unite! This competition is the "super bowl" of Assisted Living Executive Chefs and you don’t want to miss it. This year’s challenge was created by none other than Jonathan B Mabry, Executive Director of UNESCO, City of Gastronomy, and local legendary chef, Janos Wilder.

The focus is on heritage foods of Tucson.

Chefs were given lists of ingredients from which to choose to create their own masterpieces.

Meet the Chefs

Photos by Kathleen Dreier

Meet the Sponsors

St Luke’s Home is very grateful to the sponsors of this incredible event which raises funds for our beloved Elders. These folks truly give back to their community and sponsor a number of events within Tucson. We are very appreciative they have stepped up to the plate for our Elders (no pun intended). Thanks to our media sponsors for helping us get the word out about this event and St Luke’s Home. Please don’t forget them when you need their businesses.

Remember friends, if you know folks who don’t get this newsletter, please tell them to go to silvercheftickets.com to get their tickets benefitting the Elders of St Luke’s Home.

Remind them in addition to food, wine, beer, and beverages we will have some fantastic raffles and live music by Mesquite Shade. We also have a carry-out option for those of you not quite ready to attend public events.

Tank's Green Stuff and The Morning Blend

Tank's Green Stuff made such a big splash with their donation to St Luke's Home it made the KGUN9 News with The Morning Blend! Zoe Zandora interviewed Staci and Shoda in our east courtyard to talk about their support for the upcoming Silver Chef Culinary Competition.

Tank's Green Stuff is custom-building a planter, waist-high and wheelchair/walker accessible, for our Garden Club to cultivate native and historic herbs and vegetables. Our Elders can't wait to get their hands dirty with Tank's Green Stuff!

Check out the video here.

Sal FryDays

We made egg rolls with chicken and pork. And a dessert strawberry cream cheese egg roll. The elders help cooked and rolled them up. So yummy!

Hollywood Party

It's all Fun and Games until Someone loses a Boob

There are many resources available to help ensure everyone gets the check-ups they need to catch this cancer early. Try Susan G Komen for financial assistance to get a mammogram. Check out BreastCancer.org for statistic, risk factors, and myths vs facts.

If you're already on the ball, you can help others by donating money to the American Cancer Society, or donating platelets to the American Red Cross. Platelets are essential for patients in the midst of fighting cancer. 

Or, just keep bugging that loved one to get 'r done because early detection saves lives. Therefore, to the beautiful person reading this St Luke's Home newsletter article right now, we ask again, did you get your mammogram this year?

It’s really starting to get busy around here! As fall arrives, St Luke’s Home moves into full swing. Activities abound, and already I am having a great time! Still, I wanted to prepare for the coming events. I was trying to get ahead of the curve for it all and did a little research into Oktoberfest. Traditionally held in the last days of September and early days of October, we are doing our own spin on it by having the Silver Chef Culinary Competition during October. There will be food! There will be beer! There will be music!

I read all day about Oktoberfest. I learned it started on October 12, 1810 as part of the marriage ceremony between Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese (now that’s a reception)! I learned you don’t have to wear a costume, but you can. Women wear a dress called a dirndl, and the men wear lederhosen. Lederhosen isn’t German pantyhose, they are leather breeches (shorts). I don’t know if they must be attached to embroidered suspenders, but that is what the pictures looked like.  

I learned when the first keg of beer is tapped, you’re supposed to say “O’ zapft is.” Well, my German is a little rusty so I’ll let you say it. It means “It’s open”.

My friends, I tell you, after all that research I needed a little nap and did I ever have the best daydreams. I dreamt there were many people who came to the Silver Chef Culinary Competition to benefit all of the wonderful Elders here that I love so much. Others, simply did the drive by carry out in the back of St Luke’s Home. I dreamt I danced with the Elders while Mesquite Shade was playing and heard one of the board members shout, “O zapft is!”

Then I saw all these people sampling the food from each of our wonderful chefs-- Erich Border from Hacienda at the Canyon; Michael Sabia from The Cascades, Zach Hall from Broadway Proper, my old pal Jeremy Montoya from Via Elegante, my new friend Jose Hernandez from The Forum at Tucson, and of course my favorite chef in the whole wide world, Sal Miramontes from St Luke’s Home.

Everyone was oohing and aaahing about the food and drinks. I have to admit, it smelled terrific. I drooled like a St Bernard outta control. I was going to get in line with all the people, but I saw the Judges had a much better idea. They were treated like royalty. They sat in the tent and the food was brought to them. I thought to myself, now there’s a gig for Rio! I entered the tent and no one noticed. I was very stealthy--it was impressive. I did the belly crawl to position myself so I could quickly devour any drops. I wondered, “What would the first bite be? Milkbone au jus? Kibble con leche?” The moment arrived, but just as I was about to take a bite, someone rang St Luke’s Home doorbell and suddenly I was awake and in Candy’s office. After my extreme disappointment I began thinking. I think the dream was actually a premonition. One YOU should be a part of too!