Fresh Choices Are on the Menu at Trillium Woods

The new Bistro at Trillium Woods is giving residents even more ways to make delicious dining fit their tastes, schedules, and active lifestyles.

The casual venue at Plymouth, MN’s premier Life Plan Community offers residents even more flexibility, with its expanded hours, casual atmosphere, seasonal small plates, and larger selection of vegetarian and vegan options — in addition to tasty meaty favorites sure to please carnivores. Residents can stop in wearing jeans, shorts, or sandals; meet friends for a relaxed meal; dine a little later; or order pizza (from a special pizza oven!) or pasta made exactly the way they want it.

Trillium Woods’ Bistro is the newest addition to the senior living community’s already varied dining options, joining the upscale dinner experience in the 5855 Restaurant, full bar and casual fare at the Minnehaha Pub, and made-to-order breakfast and lunch selections in the Café. The Bistro — which opened during Trillium’s exciting recent expansion — gives diners even more choice, with a relaxed atmosphere and a menu shaped by residents’ evolving preferences.

“Dining at Trillium Woods is about more than providing meals,” explains Director of Food and Beverage Services Andrew Hall. “It is a crucial part of the community’s commitment to helping residents live well and stay connected. Delicious food in good company is important for your health and happiness. The Bistro gives residents even more options so they can enjoy meals and snacks that perfectly suit their mood, schedules, and palate. That’s important in a maintenance-free community where many residents opt to leave all the cooking to us.”

A More Casual Way to Dine

While the 5855 Restaurant remains popular with residents looking for a more traditional dining experience, the Bistro offers something different.
The venue has become especially popular with many newer residents, who are bringing an increased interest in plant-forward foods, nutritious ingredients, sustainability, and flexible dining.

“We’re seeing a lot more consciousness about what people are eating,” says Hall. “Residents want to know what kind of oil we’re cooking with, how much salt is in something, and what vegetarian or gluten-free options are available.”

Recent menu additions have included lentils, tofu, falafel, and a selection of proteins residents can add to salads. Diners can even choose between romaine and nutrient-dense spinach as the base for a salad — a change that was specifically requested.

At the same time, residents still enjoy familiar comfort foods. A person who selects a vegetable-forward meal one evening may want a bacon burger, fries, and warm beignets the next.

Both choices are more than welcome.

Made Just the Way Residents Like It

When the venue first opened, the culinary team offered chef-created combinations, including lemon ricotta pasta and barbecue chicken pizza. Residents enjoyed the menu, but they also made it clear that they wanted the opportunity to customize their meals.

The team listened.

“People wanted choices,” Executive Chef Rob Silkey says. “They wanted to build their own pizza and pasta and make it the way they like it.”

Even the Bistro’s pizza crust evolved through resident feedback. After experimenting with house-stretched dough and different baking methods, the team discovered that residents preferred a thin, crisp crust. It took time to find just the right one, but the result has become a favorite.

For Hall, being able to make personal dining choices is about much more than selecting pizza toppings.

“Dining is a time when someone can relax, enjoy themselves, and choose something entirely for themselves,” he said. “We want residents to have that.”

The culinary team receives input for all its venues through the community’s Food and Beverage Committee, but those conversations do not stop there. Smaller resident groups also meet with team members to discuss interests such as vegetarian dining, gluten-free options, heart health, diabetes-conscious choices, and lower-sodium foods.

The result is not one prescribed definition of healthy eating. Instead, it is a wider range of choices that allows each resident to decide what eating well means for them.

Fresh Ingredients and Creative Experiences

The culinary team works with local and specialty suppliers to bring fresh, seasonal, and sometimes unexpected ingredients to Trillium Woods.

Foods in Season, a specialty supplier based in Washington state, connects the team with wild, seasonal, and foraged ingredients. Depending on the season, selections might include fresh chanterelle mushrooms, huckleberries, king salmon, sturgeon, truffles, or fiddlehead ferns.

Trillium Woods also works with Twin Cities-area businesses for fresh fish and produce and sources its beef through a program supporting Minnesota cattle producers.

Those ingredients often appear during special chef dinners, which allow the culinary team to experiment with new ideas. The three-course events are held in the Bistro and typically welcome approximately 40 to 50 residents.

A recent dinner was inspired by the MIND diet, an eating pattern that emphasizes foods such as whole grains, berries, vegetables, and fish to support brain health. The menu avoided red meat, butter, and cream while featuring fresh huckleberries, chanterelle mushrooms, and king salmon.

The goal is not to follow trends simply because they are popular. It is to combine quality ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and resident interests to create something genuinely enjoyable.

Hospitality Beyond the Plate

Assistant Director of Food and Beverage Services Kaitlyn Van House and her team recently introduced an updated wine list after residents expressed interest in particular varietals and wine-producing regions, including Oregon Pinot Noir. A rotating signature cocktail also gives residents something new to try each week.

Private catering is growing as well. Residents can work with the team to plan food and beverages for book clubs, family visits, and other personal gatherings. An updated catering menu makes it easier to bring the Trillium Woods dining experience into residents’ apartments and community event spaces.

Behind all these meals are relationships that often develop over years. Many young servers begin working at Trillium Woods when they are 16 and remain through high school. When they return during school breaks, residents are eager to hear what they are studying and how their lives are progressing.

“It’s always bittersweet when they leave for college,” said Van House. “But when they come back, the residents are so excited to see them. They’re always asking what they’re doing and where they’re going to school.”

“Those connections are an important part of dining at Trillium Woods,” says Van House. “There’s something special about being welcomed by someone who knows your name, remembers what you enjoy, and is genuinely happy to see you.”

Always Evolving

The team is already considering what may come next. Resident interest in gardening has grown dramatically, creating enthusiasm for dedicated raised beds where herbs and produce could be grown for use in the kitchens.

For now, the team has experimented on a small scale with herbs and tomatoes. On one memorable evening, when a basil delivery did not arrive, team members harvested fresh basil growing on campus and used it in the kitchen.

It was a small moment, but one that captures the larger dining philosophy at Trillium Woods: listen to residents, embrace fresh ideas, and continue finding new ways to make every meal feel special.

Learn More

To learn more about Trillium Woods’ resident-focused lifestyle, schedule a personal tour at www.trilliumwoodslcs.com or call 763-744-9440.