The Great Masterpiece Fish Fry

Originally the Fish Fry became popular in Roman Catholic communities to honour the tradition of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays.  Today the modern Fish Fry is most popular in Wisconsin where restaurants hold legendary, weekly Fish Fries every Friday of the month.  The local fishing culture has played a major role in the evolution of the Fish Fry, blending their own traditions with native recipes.  Today you will find a variety of delicious meals including, baked, broiled or fried fish along with a diverse range of side dishes. 

Tim Garforth-Bles, President of Masterpiece Care Corporation and I, Isaac Wells, Activities Manager at Masterpiece River Ridge in Medicine Hat always enjoy our local fishing trips during the summer months.  This past summer we came up with a way to bring our joy of fishing back to share with the residents of Masterpiece River Ridge.  We decided to put our own spin on a traditional Fish Fry! 

This put a little bit of pressure on Tim and I because now we had to catch enough fish to feed everyone.  We decided to give ourselves a few days of fishing to meet our quota.  Off we went to Cavan Lake, approximately 20 kilometres south of Medicine Hat and surrounded by gently rolling hills. This lake has always been great fishing for us and it didn’t disappoint on this trip.  We managed to catch 25 good sized rainbow trout to bring back with us.

On the day of the Fish Fry, Tim and I cleaned all of the fish by hand and separated it into servable portions for our residents.  Then our fantastic kitchen staff joined in to prepare it.  We started by seasoning the fish with sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice and a twist of orange.  Then placed them in tin foil with a little bit of olive oil, wrapped them up and let them bake in their own juices for 20 minutes.  The Management Team, helped with the festivities by serving the meal with vegetables, potato salad and, of course, some wine.  The meal was finished off with a great dessert.

Our Fish Fry was a hit, the residents loved the fresh fish but the most important ingredient of its success was the ambiance - where friends, families and neighbours can relax, enjoy and exchange stories.

Isaac Wells is the Activities Manager at Masterpiece River Ridge, a Retirement Residence in Medicine Hat, Alberta that offers supportive living, assisted living and continuing care.  For more information about Masterpiece River Ridge visit http://www.masterpieceretirement.com/.

Masterpiece River Ridge Residents Enjoy Their Adventure to Manyberries, Alberta

Carl Goddard and Joyce Kalmanovitch recently moved into Masterpiece River Ridge from the small hamlet of Manyberries, Alberta, approximately 85 kilometres south of Medicine Hat at the eastern end of the Read Coat Trail. Manyberries is the home of a Canadian Pacific Railway Station and station house. CP Rail abandoned the branch line from east of Stirling to Consul, Saskatchewan in the late 90’s and converted the station into private residences.  This is where Carl and Joyce lived.

Carl and Joyce made the move to Medicine Hat in June 2011 and are now settled, enjoying their two bedroom suite at Masterpiece River Ridge and their new community of friends.

When everyone heard their unique stories of living in Manyberries the staff and residents agreed to plan a trip, so they could experience it for themselves. Both Isaac Wells, Activities Manager and Susie Mandsiak, Lifestyles Manager planned the logistics of the trip.  In no time the staff and residents were off on their adventure.

The station house, although it has been restored, retained a lot of its original structure. There were tons of antiques strewn about to admire and everyone shared their own “remember when” stories.

Carl had also maintained an old caboose rail car and jigger that are still in working condition. It was on the tracks so the group hopped up and took a ride.

Later on that day the group ate lunch at the Old Saloon and enjoyed tea and dainties for dessert at the railway station.

Everyone enjoyed this adventure. A sincere thank you goes out to Carl and Joyce for volunteering themselves as personal tour guides and allowing us to enjoy a small piece of their family heritage.

Suzie Mandziak is the Lifestyles Manager at Masterpiece River Ridge, a Retirement Residence in Medicine Hat, Alberta that offers supportive living, assisted living and continuing care.  For more information about Masterpiece River Ridge visit http://www.masterpieceretirement.com/.