Greencroft Goshen News

On January 8th, 2019, after what felt like ages of anticipation, residents and staff celebrated the Grand Opening of The Groves Cafe, a newly renovated restaurant-style cafe in the Healthcare Center of Greencroft Goshen. Named in honor of Elbert and Marion Groves, these former residents of Greencroft Goshen left a generous portion of their estate to the Greencroft Foundation with $3.5 million being undesignated. A task force was formed, and a portion of the undesignated funds was allocated for the renovation of the cafe. 

“Elbert and Marion were kind, gracious people,” says Mark King, Greencroft CEO and President. “They experienced the wonder of living free of worries in Greencroft Goshen. They desired to make sure we would be able to offer the same level of service to their neighbors if they needed it.” 

The Groves Cafe is part of Greencroft Goshen's Healthy Options Initiative. Residents need not worry about their favorites disappearing; the new cafe will still offer all the same staples and comfort foods residents have come to know and love. Now, in addition to the classic comforts, the new cafe will also be offering fresh, healthy dishes, giving diners a wider variety of options to explore.

"We always want people to have a choice in how they are dining," says Mario Garber, Director of Culinary Services.

Residents can now visit the vast salad bar or grab a ready-made sandwich from the Grab & Go Counter. So far, favorites include the Chicken Ceasar Salad and the Ham on Rye Sandwiches. 

“We can’t keep them on the shelf,” says Garber. 

The new Action Station provides healthy dining options that are so fresh, they are prepared while residents wait so the culinary team can cater to residents’ specific tastes. The cafe also includes new breakfast offerings, such as the new (and already very popular) option, Avocado Toast. 

“We want to be able to offer foods that residents might see in local coffee shops or restaurants. It might not seem like a big deal, but for some of our residents, they don’t get to experience these dishes - and so we want to bring these options to them here in the cafe,” says Garber. In the future, Garber hopes to bring in local restaurants to provide some of their dishes to the residents and staff, right here, on campus. 

For now, as time passes, The Groves Cafe will change its offerings based on the feedback of both residents and staff. 

"We want to provide the fresh options people want. So if someone wants a fresh, homemade cherry pie, we want to offer that," says Garber. 

The new cafe will not only benefit residents of the Healthcare Center but the entire campus. Independent Living and Assisted Living residents will now have the option of restaurant-style dining right here on campus. It all comes back to our commitment to choice and providing more opportunities for our residents. Stop by and see for yourself what The Groves Cafe has to offer; the cafe is open Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m., then again from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.