The Crown Center for Senior Living, an independent social service agency that provides affordable housing and supportive services for senior adults, has re-opened its kosher dining site, which they say is not only new, but improved.

The changes include a new caterer, a complete renovation of the dining room to improve its aesthetics and functionality, as well as a shift in management.

The Crown Center dining site is a federally funded social nutrition site for senior adults above the age of 60 and is run through the auspices of the local Mid East Area Agency on Aging, but Crown Center staff has assumed management for the dining program, and has instituted changes in an attempt to make it a more welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

Nikki Goldstein, executive director of Crown Center, said with Crown Center staff managing the dining site’s day-to-day activities, they hope for it to be “much more welcoming, and an easier system.”

Goldstein said the remodeling of the dining room should make the new facility “very accessible, warm, and aesthetically pleasing.”

Gershon Schwadron, a local kosher caterer and professionally trained chef, has taken over the catering for the dining site.

Florence Schachter, director of social services at Crown, is managing and directing the program, and said she believes it has been successful in attracting new people and residents who live in the building who may not have thought of using it.

“We have been instituting little changes with regard to the reservation process, and for sign-ups, and welcoming people in the dining room,” Schacther said. “It is a smoother process, and we hope it is a very welcoming place.”

Schachter noted that the center is also involving more residents as volunteers, “to give them more ownership of their dining room.”

“They are helping with setup, homebound deliveries, and cleanup,” she said.

The center offers delivery of kosher meals to people who are homebound, which are delivered by volunteers including residents and other members of the community.

A week of special events is planned for Aug. 21-25 to celebrate the new dining experience for senior adults at Crown Center.

The first special dinner will be a barbecue picnic at Crown Center on Monday, Aug. 21. There will be a diner appreciation night on Tuesday, Aug. 22, complete with door prizes and root beer floats for dessert. On Wednesday, Aug. 23, there will be a live band and music during dinner.

On Aug. 24 there will be dinner and a movie. The week will be topped off with an elegant dining experience on Friday, Aug. 25.

Goldstein said they are very excited to have a kosher dining site “that seems to be meeting the need for senior adults in and around U. City for kosher, affordable, nutritious meals in a pleasant setting, and we encourage everyone to give it a try.”

The Crown Center is located in University City, at 8350 Delcrest.

The dining program is open to all local senior adults for a suggested donation of $2.25.

Guests under the age of 60 are invited to purchase dinners for $5.25.

Reservations are required in advance.

For reservations or for more information call 314-991-2055.

Keren Douek is an assistant editor and can be reached at [email protected]