Eric Sprik: Serving up a big helping of happiness.

Residents at American House Jenison are known for talking about a favorite meal that comes from the kitchen of Eric Sprik, the Culinary Lodge Chef. Eric still loves what he does 31 years into his career, and it shows by the praise he receives not only from the residents, but American House leadership as well.

“I just like keeping the residents and their families happy by making sure they’re eating good and having a good time,” Eric said.

His love for cooking began when he was a kid, and his career started the old-fashioned way when he answered an ad in a newspaper. “I’m lucky in that I’ve always enjoyed what I do for a living and still do to this day.”

Executive Director Jonathan Book sees it in a different way. “Eric’s a legend. That’s all there is to it. At resident council meetings, when you ask how the food is, the answer is always very enthusiastic. It’s amazing, they’ll say. The residents absolutely love the food, but they love Eric, too.”

He’s a friend to all the residents and when they come to him for something he’ll always lend a helping hand. That includes sending special meals to the room of a resident, who may not be feeling well or delivering food to the cottages out front. “Everything works really well here,” Eric said. “I have a great crew. Kathy and Judy are my main two staff members and we have some young people as well. We’re basically one big family. It doesn’t even feel like work. We just have a great time doing what we do.”

Jonathan said he can always count on Eric and his crew. “When you run a community, the number one complaint usually has to do with food. But not here. I’ve never heard one and that’s unprecedented.”

It’s difficult for Eric to choose his favorite meal to make, as he’s not one to take the easy route, but he mentions ribs because they’re so popular among the residents. On average, Eric is feeding around 75 people a day. But when ribs are on the menu, the number shoots up to 120 or more. Eric also serves birthday dinners once a month where residents get their choice of coconut shrimp, steak or shrimp scampi. And he loves the always popular pizza parties that he’s been serving for well over a decade.

“I’m having as much fun as the residents are,” Eric said, before heading back to work.

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