Chef Spotlight

Mark Copeland, the Food Service Director for Castle Gardens Senior Living Community, was born in Upstate New York and raised in Florida & North Carolina before returning to Upstate New York in the early 80’s.  Learning basic cooking from his mother, he developed a passion in his early teens.

Struggling with substance abuse through his younger days, Mark is proud to be in recovery for over 15 years.  While in recovery he received the opportunity to attend and graduated from Broome-Tioga BOCES for their Culinary Arts Program.

Mark has worked in several restaurants from The Buckhorn Truck Stop, to Delgado’s Mexican Restaurant.  He explored an opportunity in another assisted living facility for a short time before finally coming to Castle Gardens Senior Living Community in July of 1999.  He started as a prep cook then worked his way up to Assistant Food Director within two years.  In April 2003 Mark was promoted to Food Service Director.  He works with and supervises a staff of 20. Together, they are responsible for preparing 3 meals for approximately 140 residents, both for senior living and Alzheimer/dementia residents. He is also responsible for ordering, menu preparation and maintaining not only their Food sanitation code but upholding the NYS Dept. of Health Enriched Housing Regulations.

Working with the residents and his staff, Mark creates the menus.  “Our residents come from diverse backgrounds however given their advanced age many of them are experiencing life circumstances that are beyond their control. Such as the inability to drive or the necessity of using a walker for mobility. Therefore we try to give some of those choices back. Residents feel good about giving input on what is served instead of just being told what they will be eating”, Mark includes.

Mark’s Assistant Food Director, Tim Bertoni along with his Cooks, Victor Roehr & Ben Forse, his Dining Room Manager, Jodie MacKenzie & he work diligently to ensure the highest standards and quality of food served.  “It is a team effort.” He says, “I am always looking for new ideas: different recipes, menus or desserts to cater to the no added salt and no concentrated sweet diets we offer. As you may know, there are limited options for sugar-free dessert choices. Our residents who require the sugar free desserts felt the punishment of little to no choice. American Quality Foods changed that. Needless to say…they are satisfied with having more options than a standard sugar free pudding.  I’ve gained invaluable experience from my co-workers, supervisors and especially our residents who keep my entire Food Service staff on their toes.  I work hard to bring a sense of pride every day, from the meals we prepare to the customer service of our wait staff. Our residents deserve that dedication.”