Gatesworth Stories —
The Holidays at The Gatesworth
Creating Magical Memories
The holidays are a magical time for everyone, regardless of age. Throughout the season, The Gatesworth celebrates by hosting special events like Holiday Affair, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners and a New Year’s Eve celebration.
The community’s executive chef Brian Hardy and his culinary team work hard to create experiences worth savoring. From formal dining to home delivery and special events like buffets and holiday celebrations, the dining choices at The Gatesworth are plentiful — and the food is always exceptional.
“At The Gatesworth, I literally get to cook for some of the best people every single day,” Hardy says. “It’s amazing to know the residents and their families and to take and prepare their recipes for them. Making the residents and their guests happy is really what I enjoy the most.”
Hardy has worked at The Gatesworth for 23 years and oversees the entire food service operation, from the front of the house — dining room managers, servers, hosts and bartenders — all the way back to the kitchen staff, sous chefs and cooks. Hardy adds that The Gatesworth has also become known as a premier training ground for young chefs in St. Louis.
Hardy himself has also won the Dr. L.J.Minor Chef Professionalism Award in 2020, a sought-after designation nationally awarded to the chef who, per the American Culinary Federation, “exemplifies the highest standard of professionalism through certification, continuing education and training, culinary competitions and community involvement.”
“Receiving the award was a big honor,” he says. “It represents a chef ’s ability to affect the community positively, to affect the staff and cooks and to train and mentor apprentices. That’s a big deal for me.”
And Hardy definitely has a positive impact on The Gatesworth — residents regularly rave to their friends and family about how incredible the food and service are in the community.
“The food is outstanding,” resident Oscar Goldberg says. “People may not believe me, but I have never had a bad meal at The Gatesworth. Never. Every meal I have had, even if it’s just a dessert — it’s always good. Living at The Gatesworth has been beyond my expectations.”
The Gatesworth even offers a special service called From Our House to Yours, where residents spending the holidays offsite can pick up sides and full meals to go from The Gatesworth kitchen, including fresh-baked pies and turkey dinners complete with all the trimmings.
“We do a lot of charity work, too,” Hardy adds. “We participate in different fundraisers around town. We really give a lot back to the community, not only as The Gatesworth, but as a culinary staff.”
Above all, what Hardy loves most about The Gatesworth is his ability to give back to the St. Louis community and residents at The Gatesworth. By getting to know residents and their tastes, he can figure out how to create foods they’ll love to eat while utilizing the freshest local and seasonal ingredients.
“When you get to know people, it makes cooking for them so much better because there’s such a warm feeling knowing they care so much about you,” Hardy says. “All the residents I have been blessed to know over the years have been so great. I have nothing but great things to say about all of them.”
Hardy concludes that The Gatesworth feels like family and that he, alongside the rest of The Gatesworth’s dedicated staff, is ready to give residents, their families and guests the most magical holiday experiences.
