The Tri-Village Lions Club has a long history of going above and beyond to meet the needs of their community, so when an idea for a way to assist their seniors arose, the Lions were quick to pounce. Inspired by the Tri-Village Packers program that ensures healthy meals for students during school vacations, the Lions promote nutritious meals for seniors via a new cookbook.
Although the Tri-Village Lions created a cookbook in the past, they wanted this book to cater specifically to the needs of seniors. This meant focusing more on the specific nutritional benefits of each ingredient and providing simpler, less elaborate recipes.
With these goals in mind, Lion Katie Foley began her research, which included consulting dietitians and gastroenterologists, watching Netflix documentaries and referencing cookbooks she had at home.
Chicken a la king
Foley quickly discovered that many people have the wrong idea when it comes to eating healthy.
“Most of the recipes have the grams of fiber, grams of protein and grams of fat and we’re focusing on that more than calories,” Foley says. “In this book, we suggested people might move out of their comfort zones and try some different cuisines that have proven to be a little more nutritious, and I think that was an important thing.”
Foley learned that while certain classic meal staples (steak, for instance) are delicious, they aren’t necessarily suitable for everyday meals.
However, Foley says that while nutritional and caloric needs are important, at the end of the day food is meant to be enjoyed. To accommodate this, the Lions designated an “Entertaining” section of the book, which contained more indulgent recipes.
“There ought to be some joy in cooking and eating. I had to wrestle with the idea that food is medicine, or food is punishment - it really isn’t. It’s supposed to be a joyful thing when people are together and eating. Even eating by yourself, just savoring the food,” Foley says.
Coming Together
While Foley was tasked with researching suitable recipes, Lion Jane Jarrow headed the publishing process.
Hoping to find someone to design the cookbook pages, Jarrow contacted the local high school and found two students willing to contribute. From there, Jarrow provided the students with a few layout examples and left the students to work independently.
“I’m most proud of those girls. I was blown away by what they were able to do,” she says. "That design was theirs and it’s just magnificent.”
Jarrow is adamant about highlighting other local organizations besides the Tri-Village Lions in the cookbook, and she thanks the Upper Arlington Senior Association for providing a grant to cover the majority of printing costs.
Local organizations were offered a free, black-and-white ad space in the book which would help spread the word about what they contribute to their community.
“Those pages from the community groups make this not just another cookbook. This is a Tri-Village cookbook. This is about us. And that’s what our goal has been,” Jarrow says.
Looking Ahead
Once the cookbooks were printed, they were distributed in various locations around the Tri-Village area. To the delight of the Lions, the books flew off the shelves.
“I dropped off 35 of them at the Upper Arlington Library on a Friday afternoon, and on Monday morning they contacted me and said, ‘Have you got any more?’” Jarrow says.
Luckily, the Lions plan to give the people what they want and hope to have more copies available in time for the holiday season.
“There are so many aspects of life that you can’t control and that don’t give much joy, so those things that are such a given, like food, just embrace that. I think that’s what cookbooks really try to do,” Foley says.
Maggie Lardie is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
