We recently sat down for a chat with Brian Bercher, the Culinary Manager at The Grand Hills Castle, and soon discovered that he can hold a conversation on pretty much anything – whether it’s creating from-scratch meals for residents, homemade food for rescue dogs or playing in an Irish band.
Brian Bercher is not afraid to admit it up front.
“I don’t cook at home. DoorDash is my private waiter,” he quips.
But in his lifelong role in fine dining as a sous-chef, executive chef, private chef and caterer, Brian is well-trained on cooking from scratch. Since January of this year, he’s been happy to bring his creativity to the daily menu at The Grand Hills Castle.
“I understand the regional meat-potatoes-gravy aspect here,” says Brian. “I want to make as much of our meals as homemade as possible. I’m a firm believer of supporting our community businesses, outsourcing local meat and produce. In fact, next week Monday, we’re preparing roast beef from a local supplier and I will season it myself.”
Brian, who began washing dishes in an authentic Japanese steakhouse when he was 17, has always been interested in food. He earned his culinary degree in between his living and working in restaurants, private kitchens and assisted living communities across the U.S. In addition to his position with The Grand Hills Castle, Brian runs a private chef business.
“Families hire me to cook their weekly meals, so that helps me stay in touch with family cooking and what they want to eat, as opposed to considering a five-star restaurant menu and creating a salmon souffle,” he adds. “In that way, I can reflect what the local wants and needs are much better to the Castle Senior Living community.”
In addition to his talents in the kitchen, Brian is a stage musician and plays bass guitar in the group, Ireland-the-band, which tours much of the East Coast on weekends. He’s involved in Greyhound Rescue and runs a retirement home with two dogs currently in residence. Homemade meals are also on their menu.
“I make my own dog food, usually about forty pounds of food a week. The meals are made with chicken liver, brown rice, sweet potato and carrots. There’s a meat, a grain, and a vegetable. The dogs get a well-balanced meal.”
Brian enjoys the freedom to create what the residents at The Grand Hills Castle want to eat. His goal is to develop a menu that is nutritionally sound and satisfying to the residents and their families.
“We are cooking for them in the same way that we cook for our families,” he says. “Our residents are like family, and we always want to do the best for them.”