Suzanne Chew
EDMOND — Residents of Touchmark at Coffee Creek celebrated Oklahoma’s centennial with the official state dinner, as decreed by the Legislature in 1988.
The celebration is part of the active adult community’s new monthly food and beverage themes, created by Dining Services Manager Mike Bates.
Each week people sample a different aspect of that month’s theme, from unique teas, wines, a dinner and a cooking demonstration.
November is “Prairie Home cooking,” complete with a Sodbuster cooking demo.
In honor of the centennial, the Touchmark dinner menu featured chicken-fried steak, Jack Daniel’s barbecue ribs, cheese grits, cornbread sticks and biscuits and gravy. To complete the meal, pecan pie and strawberry pie were offered.
All recipes were prepared by Touchmark Chef Bob Miller. An Indian Summer Tea with plum tartlets and pecan pies from local produce, a wine tasting with local Oklahoma wines and a cooking demonstration of fried cornmeal-crusted Oklahoma catfish were featured for the month as well.
More than 100 people live at Touchmark, which offers a variety of homes and lifestyle options.
Bates credits the community’s Parkview homes resident Liz Codding as the inspiration for the themed dinners.
“Liz is very creative and wanted to celebrate all the holidays with the other residents.”
“It is exciting every month. We try new recipes, and when we find something people really like, we add it to our regular repertoire.”
A reduced sodium and fat option is offered at each meal. Each entree under this option contains no more than 4 grams of fat and 140 grams of sodium per serving. For the centennial dinner, steamed catfish and sugar-free strawberry pie were served.
Since the inception of the theme dinners, residents have hula danced at a Polynesian dinner featuring a pit-barbecued whole baby pig, dined on the favorites of Elvis with a visit from “The King” himself and had a spot of tea and scones during an afternoon of British tea.
Each month, Bates and his staff feed approximately 200 people at these dinners, as they are a popular opportunity for residents to invite guests to dine with them. Prospective Touchmark residents often also attend to get a taste of Touchmark’s active lifestyle.
DETAILS
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
In 1988, the Legislature defined Oklahoma’s official state meal. Oklahoma’s official state meal became one of the state emblems by virtue of House Concurrent Resolution 1083, approved by the 41st Legislature. The meal includes an extensive menu reflecting Oklahoma’s cultural backgrounds and the state’s historical and contemporary agriculture.
SOURCE: Oklahoma Historical Society
