In Plymouth, the population has exploded and the town has become a retirement destination. Forty percent of the population is 55 plus—that amounts to approximately 28,000 seniors.
And the Center for Active Living Café has become a popular destination for many of them looking for a delicious breakfast or lunch, according to Michelle Bratti, who directs the Center for Active Living.
Bobbi Clark has more…
Director of Elder Affairs, Michelle Bratti, says the origin of the CAL Café, located at the Center for Active Living, right next door to the Plymouth North High School, could be looked at as a positive side-effect of the pandemic
“We used to have an understanding with the school—and they would come over—send a chef, and make some wonderful meals. When COVID hit, they had to discontinue that program.”
And that was due to supply and staffing issues, so, Bratti and her staff decided a true café should be the goal…
“We didn’t want to just throw some chairs in a room and say, we’re going to serve some meals. There’s always a hot, special meal. There are lots of choices. That is the key, choice and socialization.”
The choice of a chef was a key ingredient—that person is Mike Dickerson, a graduate of Newbury Culinary Arts School:
“We make all our soups from scratch, all our sauces from scratch—the chicken’s fresh chicken, the beef’s fresh. We just served cod here—a lot of places don’t do that. People love it. We haven’t got any negative feedback. They all want more. It’s all been positive.”
The CAL Café is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Photo credit: Michelle Bratti.
The CAL menu features some of the best prices around. Photo credit: Michelle Bratti.
