Lunch with Dave at the Tumwater Senior Center

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By Mary Ellen Psaltis

tumwater auto spaI remember hearing about Dave’s soups years ago in the locker room at Bally’s Total Fitness. (Remember the building on Sleater-Kinney Rd. near NTHS?) Women from the water aerobics class were energized at the prospect of heading to the Tumwater Senior Center for lunch. “You must go there,” they encouraged me. “And the price is so reasonable,” they added. Now I hear the same acclamations in the dressing room at LA Fitness. “Oh definitely, his lunches are amazing.” When my health-minded mom told me that she knew Dave and had a couple of favorite lunches there, most notably the Kale Soup, I knew it was past time for me to grab a spoon and drive to Tumwater.

tumwater senior center
Dave Gilfert is ready with chili and corn bread.

At last, I met Dave Gilfert face to face. I wanted him to know his reputation preceded him. He smiled modestly, knowing that his home-style cooking has been pleasing people at the City of Tumwater Senior Center for almost 15 years. Gilfert’s time in the kitchen began long ago, at home, with both of his parents. Although he went to college to study electronics, Gilfert found cooking to be more satisfying. Over the past forty years he has worked as a chef (including being a Saucier) in California, Idaho, Nevada and Washington. With this position at the senior center, he gets nights and weekends off, a rarity in the food business. It was a great plus for family life.

When Gilfert started this job he was nowhere near a senior, but when he turned 55 a few years ago, his adoring fans welcomed him into the ‘senior club.’ In addition to menu planning and cooking, Gilfert spends time talking with seniors about their needs, concerns and solving problems. The center is friendly and helpful.

Lunch at the Tumwater Senior Center is served weekdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The requested donation is $2. With certain lunches the requested price increases to $4 due to the rising cost of beef. Nevertheless, Dave’s meatloaf and his meatballs with sour cream sauce remain popular. Usually around 40 meals per day are served but at times the mouths fed increases to 60, depending on the menu and time of year. This program is subsidized by the City of Tumwater. Lunch leftovers help to feed an afternoon youth drop-in program.

Generous donations from Safeway and Fred Meyer contribute bread, cakes, pies, donuts and other bakery products. The day I stopped by, diners made quick work of a stack of sweet potato pies, which were holiday leftovers.

Volunteers pick up these goodies during the week. One of these volunteers is Chuck McAllister, who has been coming to the center for 13 years. Cheerful and warm, McAllister said, “There are so many beautiful people here. I just like it.” His family came to this area in 1843. You could enjoy a bit of local history with your lunch if you talk with Chuck.

tumwater senior center
Melly Melville and Sam Rayor appreciate Dave’s cooking.

A few weeks ago my 22-year-old son and I visited a few Olympia bars. This week I find that I am old enough (over 55) to have lunch at the Senior Center with my mom. Now there’s a time sandwich.

Dave has kindly given us a recipe for his version of Zuppa Tuscana, a trio of sausage, kale and potatoes. I asked him the origin of all his recipes. He simply tapped his head.

You can find everything that’s on the menu at the Tumwater Senior Center by clicking here. Make new friends and find out why people have been talking about Dave’s lunches for all these years. I did.

Eat Well – Be Well

 

Dave’s Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

tumwater senior center
You can make Zuppa Toscana at home using Dave’s recipe.

Here’s one way to include kale into your weekly fare. Gilfert likes to serve this with garlic bread (and makes sure that a few of the loaves are wheat.)

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

2 yellow onions, medium diced

4 stalks celery, medium diced

3 tablespoons flour

1-½ quarts chicken broth

8-12 ounces medium kale, chopped

White pepper and salt

4-6 potatoes (Yellow Finns or Yukon Gold) diced

2-4 ounces milk or half and half

Sauté sausage until light brown. Add onions and celery and sauté until onions are clear. Lightly dust with flour. Mix until no flour is white. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add kale. Simmer 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add potatoes. When potatoes are soft, add milk or cream. Season to taste. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese (optional).

 

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