Meet PCG Members – The Southminster Team: Making the Golden Years Delicious

Chef Ketterhagen, former Executive Chef of Carpe Diem for 14 years, joined the Southminster team four months ago. Ketterhagen has connected with countless chefs and farmers regionally during his six years as a PCG member.

His favorite part about his PCG membership? “Besides the network of people I’ve met and made lifelong relationships with,” he said, “it would have to be being able to participate in community events.”

Kitchen Supervisor Chef Anne Marie Stefaney started at Southminster in April 2019 but has been a member of PCG for over four years. Stefaney, a Johnson & Wales grad and 2017 NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year, was featured in the Bravo reality show Welcome to Waverly in 2018 and has worked at Heirloom and with Rare Roots Hospitality.

“PCG has benefited my career in ways I never thought was possible,” she said. “The relationships that have been built over the years are priceless. PCG is slowly building a culinary family within the city that most chefs never realized they needed.”

Finally, Suber, Southminster’s own since 2010 and PCG board member for two years, is a native Charlottean who is part of Charlotte restaurant royalty. His parents owned and operated the cherished Town House restaurant – a fixture on Providence Road for over 25 years.

In his previous life as a restaurant owner in Georgia, he found a lack of support from other organizations in the competitive restaurant environment. Through PCG, he’s found connections and camaraderie with like-minded people in Charlotte’s ever-growing food and beverage world.

“If we wanted to go change this whole menu right now, Salem would be like, let’s do it, guys,” said Forte. “If we wanted to do a pig-pickin’ or something crazy out digging in the ground, he’d say, ‘get the shovels, let’s go.’ He’s very supportive.”

Suber and the culinary team at Southminster are taking retirement community mealtime to a new level. This kitchen crew churns out 550 carefully curated and crafted meals every day for Southminster’s residents and guests. And the craziest part? The menu changes daily and seasonally.

Southminster’s involvement with PCG has made a huge impact on their operations. Forte explained that “PCG has helped open a lot of doors” for the team. While they’ve focused on local produce for some time, they have made more connections to more farms as members of PCG – including relationships with Freshlist, Barbee Farms, Middle Ground Farms, and The Chef’s Farmer.

“Working with Southminster is fun,” said PCG member Brent Barbee of Barbee Farms. “To see the way they transform products they get from us and turn them into old favorites or something brand new for their residents is a mind-blowing transformation.”

PCG member Matt Martin of Freshlist shares this sentiment.

“Every time I deliver to Southminster, I am greeted by a staff that is happy to be working in the environment they are in,” said Martin. “Genuine smiles, handshakes and an inquisitive staff of team members asking about the local produce we are bringing in.”

Because of the team’s strong connections in the city, they can personally call or text friends in their PCG network when they need something or vice versa.

“When some of the farmers get into a jam, they go to the PCG Message Board say ‘Hey guys, I’ve got 40 pounds of spinach and nowhere for it to go,’” said Forte. “Usually we’re the ones who will go scoop it all up because we can change menu items. So it doesn’t go to waste.”

Their expansive kitchen space has also been helpful when chefs are in a crunch and need the extra room, equipment, or product.

And although the public cannot currently enjoy Southminster’s food on a regular basis without a connection to the living community, that doesn’t stop the team from participating in PCG events and other philanthropic adventures.

“When we get a chance to go out and say hey, we’re Southminster, this is what we do… it’s more like an advertisement to find new people who might want to come work here,” said Forte. “Because then they understand we’re not your typical senior living center. We run it like a restaurant.”

“PCG has been a great resource for community partners in Southminster’s charitable mission as a non-profit,” said Suber. “We also try to support the charitable efforts of PCG members and non-profits in the PCG community.”

Southminster has participated in Farm to Fork In the Garden, has hosted PCG Tastemakers, and joined forces with other chefs to raise money for PCG in last year’s collaborative dinner at Catawba Brewing. You’ll also find them at other philanthropic events in the city where they use their talents and time for a good cause.

The Southminster team has worked with and supported numerous culinary professionals in the city, including PCG member Chef Ashley Boyd of 300 East.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many members of the Southminster team on events such as Community Feast, Sweet Escapes, Soup Day at Free Range Brewing and other charitable endeavors,” said Boyd. “This is a group of culinarians operating at a very high level, usually for a very small audience, so I’m always thrilled when the broader public has an opportunity to experience their work.”

Whether the Southminster team is cooking for their residents or for the public, it’s hard to ignore the care and detail they put into each dish.

“The culture here at Southminster, the quality of food we put on the plate… people wanna come work here because of that,” said Platoni. “And we’re doing it in a manner that’s sustainable because we’re working with PCG and working through Freshlist and local farmers and artisans.”

Jacksina sees the similarities between PCG’s values and their own on a regular basis.

“It’s the same motto… ‘all ships rise,’” said Jacksina. “You can see it on a small scale here daily.”

And the culinary offerings are expanding. Southminster is working on a 60-seat fine dining restaurant – available to Southminster residents and their guests – as well as Compass Club members – with its own kitchen and bar. Completion is scheduled for Fall 2020.

Sounds like the public will finally get a true taste of what Southminster’s all about after all.

Profile written by Allie Papajohn