A Day in the Life: Pennswood Village Receiving
Procuring the food and supplies for the Dining program at Pennswood Village is probably is not a topic of conversation at the dinner table. While residents and staff members happily dine at meal times, behind the scenes is a highly dynamic team effort that carries out the vital functions of ordering, receiving and storing the multitude of fresh food and supplies that arrive daily on our back dock.
Our Receiver, Chef and Back of the House Manager collaborate extensively to coordinate the 30 plus weekly food deliveries that help to nourish and sustain our residents and staff members.
The Perplexing Ordering Process
The ordering process enlists a number of talents and skills which include conducting physical inventories, determining the ripeness of fruits and vegetables, and a good deal of heavy lifting.
Just a few of the tasks conducted weekly include counting over 5000 refrigerated and dry good items; comparing the amount on hand to the amount needed for that week’s production; and determining the amount to order and making sure it is placed by each vendors designated cut off time. The clock is always ticking!
Some products are readily available from our many vendors, while others require 7 to 10 days advance notice. This team coordinates the arrival of numerous deliveries to insure the food and supplies are on hand in the quantity needed and when they are needed.
The Role of the Receiver
For every order placed, the Receiver knows that the food does not magically get put away. Heavy lifting is big part of the Receiver’s day. Based on order volume, the Receiver typically lifts and stores between 8,000 to 10,000 pounds each week!
Sanitation plays an important role too, and the Receiver works diligently to make sure the three walk-in refrigerators, two walk-in freezers, and three dry storage areas are clean, neat and organized. Each must comply with federal, state and county food codes for the safe and proper storage of perishable and non-perishable food and supplies.
Always Fresh Meat, Poultry and Fish
Chef focuses on determining the amounts of meats, poultry and fish needed for each week’s production. Over the past eleven months Chef has worked diligently to establish relationships with 3 organic chicken farms. As of January 2017, over 95% of the all the chicken purchased for Pennswood is free range, organic.
The fresh fish purchased for Pennswood is comparable to any four star restaurant. In fact, we purchase from the same top rated fish vendor, which supplies many of Philadelphia’s top restaurants. This vendor was ranked ‘Best of Philly’ in 2016 by Philadelphia magazine.
Chef works tirelessly to insure the fish served at Pennswood meets the Monterey Bay Aquarium standards for safe and sustainable seafood purchases. (The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program creates science-based recommendations that help businesses make ocean-friendly seafood choices.)
For more information on the extensive dining services and amenities at Pennswood Village, give us a call today at 866-740-4977, or visit us online to join us at our next event!