Ferris Hills Redefines Fine Dining
One of the best restaurants in Canandaigua is also one of its best kept secrets.
With an average of 140 patrons each night and a slew of rave reviews, the kitchen at Ferris Hills at West Lake/Clark Meadows consistently serves up incredible dishes even for the most discerning palate.
Executive Chef Matthew Laurence previously served as executive chef at the four-star Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore and Woodcliff Hotel & Spa in Fairport. Known as “Chef Matt,” he and Tony Cafarelli, a certified American Culinary Federation sous chef, collaborate with cooks who bring diverse experiences and unique ideas to the table. Fred Hennerley owned a German restaurant, while Patrick Boylan completed the Le Cordon Bleu culinary program in New Hampshire and is a skilled baker. Ben Fox was trained by a French culinarian and Jamison Gorton-Jones worked five years in the kitchen of an Asian-themed chain restaurant. Alissa Allgood, meanwhile, is known for making perfect omelets and breakfast entrées.
“Matt and Tony have built this team and they give these cooks enough freedom to bring a level of creativity I’ve never seen,” said Kristen Sharlow Remy of Sales and Marketing with Thompson’s senior communities, which offer both independent and assisted living apartments.
Kristen was on hand in May when Tony and Jamison won the award for "Best Taste" during the Kiwanis Club of Canandaigua's Chef & Sip Challenge with their Porchetta with Salsa Verde & Pickled Red Onion. It marked the fifth consecutive challenge where Ferris Hills walked away with an award; Kristen wasn’t surprised.
“Our food is one of the main selling points for most seniors considering living at Clark Meadows or Ferris Hills,” she said.
Ferris Hills resident Lee Frank agreed. “The kitchen here is just unbelievable!” he said.
Matt said although the restaurant offers a number of everyday entrées including Atlantic salmon, steak burgers, and grilled pork chops, the other side of the menu changes each week, unlike a menu in a typical restaurant. Recent dinner entrées have included lobster linguine, grilled New York strip steak, and Roman chicken.
The residents hold monthly dinner committee meetings, providing input and making requests. “I do my best to accommodate as many as possible,” Matt said.
Matt, Tony, and their colleagues often like to treat the residents’ taste buds to special offerings. For example, to celebrate the Kentucky Derby, they served Hot Brown, a variation of traditional Welsh rarebit created at The Brown Hotel in Louisville nearly a century ago. Then one evening – shortly after residents had a presentation on the Titanic – they’d prepared a meal featuring a partial replication of the ship’s first-class dinner menu that fateful night in 1912.
Ferris Hills/Clark Meadows Executive Director Aimee Ward noted Virginia Woolf once said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.”
“This is not something our senior communities’ residents ever have to worry about, thanks to Chef Matt, Tony, and their team,” she said. “We are extremely fortunate that ours is the kitchen where they take their love of cooking and their skills to new levels.”
To learn more about our senior communities, visit www.FerrisHills.com