ASHBURN, Va.—Waltonwood Ashburn, a premier senior living community, has named Robert McKeon as its new culinary services manager. McKeon is a seasoned chef, bringing more than 30 years of culinary experience to his new role. He is a classically trained chef, having worked in restaurants and hotels before making the move to senior living. He has spent the past 12 years in health care culinary, where he ensures nutritiously balanced and healthy meals for residents.
McKeon’s focus is the betterment of people’s lives. He sees this as an opportunity to cook with a passion and prepare dishes that inspire people to eat healthy while infusing flavors that elevate their taste buds. He loves creating community through food and using the freshest ingredients possible to produce unique dishes that help improve the quality of life for residents.
“Cooking is my passion and focusing on the senior population has been rewarding. I am able to take something I love and make a difference in the lives of seniors by providing nutritious meals,” said McKeon.
“I started off working in the hospitality industry before taking a break to help run a family business, but I knew my heart was in the kitchen. Cooking for seniors is so important. There are many paradigms to food. It’s not just a meal for seniors, it is social, healing and so much more. My cooking style is for the active and healthy senior. Food that is low-fat and high protein but packed with flavor. My goal is to empower the culinary associates to make dining an experience for each resident. We are a family in the kitchen, and I want residents to feel that. I’m excited to be at Waltonwood and provide high caliber foods for the residents to enjoy. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to do this for a living.”
Waltonwood Ashburn offers five-star dining in its main dining room, a café for residents and new outdoor patio seating for the summer months. McKeon will update the menus by season and run specials each month for residents, including the Four S’s (steak, seafood, sangria and strawberry shortcake) which will debut when dining reopens in August. McKeon says he was attracted to the job because Waltonwood is a family-owned company that has strong values and beliefs. He understands the industry and the importance of nutrient-dense meals that are tailored to residents’ needs.
Executive director Christopher Leinauer knows McKeon is the right person for the job.
“Robert brings years of experience in the food industry to this new role, and we couldn’t think of a better person to lead our culinary services team,” said Leinauer. “His approach to dining and serving fresh, local ingredients is exactly what we were looking for at the community. He has the residents’ best interests in mind, and I know the residents will not only enjoy his food but also enjoy his company.”
Waltonwood at Ashburn, a premier family-owned and operated boutique community, features 114 independent living apartment homes, 72 assisted living apartments and 27 memory care apartments (mix of private studios, one- and two-bedroom floor plans) for up to 270 residents. Located in Northern Virginia just minutes from the Potomac River and about 45 minutes from Washington D.C., the 287,000-square-foot community sits on 14.5 acres. At Waltonwood at Ashburn, residents have the opportunity to enjoy a worry- and maintenance-free life filled with friends and all the luxury amenities they deserve.
About Waltonwood
Singh is a family-owned company, and for more than 45 years it has remained multifaceted in real estate development, with a strong foundation in luxury apartments, commercial properties, land development, high-end single-family homes and, for nearly 30 years, senior living communities which have been branded “Waltonwood.” The vertical integration of the company, which provides for development, construction, finance and management under one umbrella, allows Singh to stay poised to take advantage of new opportunities in expanding markets. All projects are wholly owned by Singh and continue to be owned and managed by Singh.
With regional offices in Cary, N.C., Singh has made a strong commitment to the expansion of its brand into the southeast markets. Learn more about Singh and its Waltonwood communities at singhweb.com. If you are interested in learning more about Waltonwood at Ashburn, please visit waltonwood.com or call 571-266-0288.
