Peabody Council on Agings's staff,
from left, Judy Walker, Laurie Nadeau, and Carol McMahon dress in server
outfits during a luncheon to celebrate the opening of the new 'Friends Cafe'.
(Libby O'Neill) Purchase this photo
At the
Peabody Senior Center, that’s what Friends are for
Anne Marie
Tobin
February
10, 2023 by Anne
Marie Tobin
As if the
Peter A. Torigian Center wasn’t already doing plenty for Peabody’s seniors, the
Council on Aging has taken it up a notch with a beautiful, trendy,
state-of-the-art café.
President
of the Friends of the Peabody Council on Aging Mike Zellen proudly kicked off
the grand opening of the ‘Friends’ Café’ with a ceremonial ribbon cutting on
Feb. 8. Zellen was joined by Friends board members, Director Carolyn Wynn,
members of her staff and numerous volunteers.
On
Thursday, a large group of elected and city officials and dignitaries got their
first taste at a special luncheon.
“This is a
wonderful addition to our Senior Center,” said Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt, Jr.
“I am thrilled that we were able to provide this beautiful location for our
seniors to eat, talk and enjoy one another’s company. A giant ‘thank you’ to
our Friends committee and the amazing staff at the Senior Center.”
Formerly
the café and gift shop, the new café comfortably seats 24 patrons, offering
table and chair height counter seating. The atmosphere is warm and ambient, yet
sunny and cheery.
Administrative
Assistant Carol McMahon said the café is “the brainchild” of Director Carolyn
Wynn.
“For years
she has always dreamed of making that space into an inviting and beautiful
restaurant offering seniors a more ambient dining experience with additional
menu options,” McMahon said.
The new
menu will feature familiar favorites, but will also offer healthy, nutritious
items including a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads and hot entrees.
“The menu
will have more than just things like meatloaf and gravy as our seniors are
getting younger and they want to have healthy options. It’s just not like it
used to be as more seniors are taking early retirement,” said Wynn. “Plus, most
senior centers require that you have to order food in advance, but we cook to
order, so this is a great option for our seniors and will really expand what we
are able to offer.”
The
project began taking shape in February 2022 when Wynn approached McMahon and
asked her if she would like to design this new space. McMahon enlisted the
maintenance team of Mike Callahan and Tommy Santos, who she described as
“unstoppable.”
“With much
collaboration and certainly a team effort, we couldn’t be more pleased with the
end result,” McMahon said. “If you are looking for a different dining
experience other than our popular dining hall, this is it!”
State Rep.
Thomas Walsh (D-Peabody) credited the Council on Aging for working together to
come up with such a novel idea.
“The
creative efforts of the Senior Center staff with the support of the Council on
Aging has provided a new comfortable space for seniors to gather and spend time
with each other,” Walsh said. “The cafe creates another vibrant setting for all
to enjoy.”
All
lunches are $6 cash only, including choice of beverage, with dessert being an
additional $2. Flavored coffees and unique lunches will be served daily. “To
Go” options are available also and pagers will be given to those who have to
wait for a table. The café is open for lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for
meal service and closes at 2. “To Go” lunches must be ordered between
11:15-11:30.a.m.
Ward 4
Councilor Julie Daigle said she looked forward to the event all morning.
“It was a
nice event and it was so worth the wait,” Daigle said. “They treated us like
celebrities. Every time you turned around they had staff waiting to help you
and it really felt like a small version of a country club the way it faces the
field, didn’t realize the cafe overlooks the field. In a way it’s like a small
version of a country club,” said Ward 4 Councilor Julie Daigle. “It was
fantastic to see they are providing a service that is so needed.”
“The
vision and creativity that Carolyn and her staff has amazes me,” said Ward 3
Councilor Stephanie Peach.
“The café
is another feather in the cap for the best senior center in the state,” said
Councilor-at-Large Tom Gould.
“The
Senior Center and the staff does incredible work to increase senior’s quality
of life, not just in Peabody, but throughout the North Shore,” said
Councilor-at-Large Ryan Melville. “They did a great job. It’s impressive and
the food was excellent.”
Wynn said
the café is just another effort on the part of the council to address the
needs of seniors, which are getting more and more diverse.
“Not only
do we have more active seniors who are using our services, but we are also
seeing younger seniors who want to volunteer,” Wynn said. “We now see several
different generations across the board with diverse interests. So the goal is
to always keep as many options as possible with many different selections. It’s
just not one size fits all anymore.”
McMahon
said the cafe will offer outside dining on the outdoor patio when weather
permits starting in the spring, providing additional seating under the awnings.
McMahon said breakfast will likely be offered in the near future. The cafe will
officially open to the public at the end of the month.
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