After 30 years in hospitality, Lisa Lemler found a new way to make a difference through senior living dining. As director of food and nutrition at Apple Valley Village, she helps create meaningful experiences for residents while leading a culinary team focused on personalized care.

An Unexpected Career Path

While studying computer programming in Chicago, Lisa found a job working as a server for her friend’s sister in a café.

“I was like, ‘Wow, OK, this is so much fun,’” Lisa remembers.

Putting herself through college by working in restaurants, she found that food—not technology—was her passion.

Building a Career in Hospitality

Lisa thrived off the energy in restaurants, so she stayed in the hospitality industry when she moved back to Minnesota after college.

She worked in front-of-house leadership roles and developed customer service, team building, and operational skills.

Because she loved the hospitality industry so much, she went back to school—this time for hospitality management.

Feeding Thousands of Students

Lisa transitioned from restaurants to higher education dining, spending nearly 10 years managing residential dining halls at the University of Minnesota.

There, she oversaw a massive dining operation, serving meals to about 3,000 students per day. She took pride in her job, but dealt with long hours and often a lack of appreciation from those she was serving.

Most importantly, as her family grew, Lisa began looking for a job with more family-friendly hours.

Finding Balance in Senior Living

She found what she was looking for at Apple Valley Village.

“I needed that work-life balance, and this, healthcare, was perfect,” Lisa says. “I tailor it to my life and it works out perfect.”

Not only did she find balance so she could spend more time with her family, but she also found an environment within a senior living community that supported both professional growth and personal priorities.

Discovering a New Kind of Hospitality

Before coming to Apple Valley Village, Lisa had not spent a lot of time in a senior living setting.

She appreciates the opportunity to get to know residents and contribute to a positive resident dining experience.

“I had to learn that way and just to kind of make that different connection with certain people,” Lisa says. “So, that was really interesting for me. But then it was more rewarding, too, at the same time as I got into it.”

Why Personalization Matters

Lisa isn’t overseeing meals for the masses anymore. She’s leading a team focused on serving individuals, with culinary services designed around the needs and preferences of each resident.

“We’re taking care of people and we’re a lifeline,” she says. “To contribute to fostering fullness of life, for us, is really listening to our residents and getting in there what they want and what they need.”

While Cassia communities have a standard menu, they also offer options that support a personalized resident dining experience.

“We go to our residents every week when we put our menus out and then we have alternatives that they can have, and we sit down with them one-on-one so they can tell you, ‘Nope, I don’t want that or I don’t like that, I would rather have this,’” Lisa says.

Making Memorable Experiences

Lisa bonded with one resident over a love for whipped cream. But, the resident made it clear that she wanted homemade whipped cream, not the store-bought version.

So, Lisa made homemade whipped cream from scratch.

“She thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” Lisa says.

This shows just one example of how the smallest acts of care can often make a big difference.

A Team that Feels Like Family

Lisa is not the only one trying to make a difference. Her culinary team works together to provide a quality culinary experience for the residents.

“The beauty of it is that I have a great team here,” she says.

Team members support one another through family commitments and changing schedules. Most importantly, they enjoy working together.

“We have a lot of fun because we’re supposed to and we’re with each other all the time,” Lisa says. “We just mesh well. We’re like one happy, dysfunctional family and we all love each other.”

The Difference a Great Company Makes

Lisa points to culinary team members who have worked for Cassia for decades as proof of a company that cares about their employees.

“That speaks volumes for me in a company because of that longevity because that means the company’s taking care of them,” she says.

She also feels when she speaks up, her voice is heard.

“We’re very close to our dieticians, our corporate chef, and we have great relationships with them and we kind of grow off each other,” Lisa says. “And the people that are in our lives now, they really take our voice, and they take our suggestions, and they listen to us.”

That collaboration helps strengthen the dining services offered across Cassia communities.

Finding Her Home at Apple Valley Village

Lisa enjoys serving and working with a variety of people.

“The best thing about working here is the people you meet,” Lisa says. “Not just the residents, but our employees and you look at our nursing assistants and our nurses and you’re like, ‘I can never do that, but I have much respect for it.’”

At Cassia, Lisa has found more than a job.

“What keeps me here is I know that I found my home,” she says.

More than Meals

At Apple Valley Village, Lisa Lemler and her team don’t just prepare meals—they create experiences, build relationships, and help residents live life to the fullest. As Lisa puts it, their mission is simple: serve more than meals.

Learn more about Apple Valley Village and culinary career opportunities at Cassia today.