Maris Grove’s Culture Proves Attractive to Prospective Employees

Many cooks enjoy being in the back of the house, away from customers. However, for Prep Cook Jason Smith, interacting with his customers is a highlight of his job. 

Smith started working at Maris Grove, an Erickson Senior Living-managed community in Delaware County, Pa., in May 2024. 

“The residents make the day go by easy,” Smith said. “I like interacting with them.”

Smith works in Coebourn Café, a casual cafe within Maris Grove. He enjoys preparing cheese steaks, grilled salmon, tuna melts, burgers, quesadillas, and chicken tenders. He works in an open kitchen, taking orders, preparing food, and sending it out fresh and cooked to order.

Maris Grove features three formal dinner restaurants, a casual pub, a friendly tavern, and Coebourn Café.

As an experienced prep cook, Smith still received on-the-job training to learn specific recipes and produce consistent results.

Dining Director Dan Lessard says culinary job training focuses on repetition of a dish. “When someone comes on board, we introduce them for a week or so at each station. Then they land at a specialist station, for example, sauté or prep cook,” Lessard said. “Building consistency is key.” 

Smith started his culinary career as a line cook at iHop about eight years ago and worked his way up to prep cook. Many of his coworkers have started in Maris Grove’s restaurants as student servers and hosts as part of its high school student employment program and worked their way up even into other areas of the company.

“The services we offer to more than 30,000 residents nationwide are only as good as the people providing them,” said Alan Butler, Chief Executive Officer of Erickson Senior Living. “This is why we take the hiring process very seriously in order to identify the best people. As a growth company with a bright future, we strive to be an employer of choice by providing an unparalleled workplace experience.”

As an Erickson Senior Living community, Maris Grove goes above and beyond typical benefits. Compensation, benefits, and location attracted Smith to the job. Learning he also receives discounts to national brands and local businesses like a pizzeria, Mexican restaurant, and car rental were icing on the cake. 

Maris Grove was named among the 2024 Healthiest Employers of Pennsylvania. The community offers unique perks such as annual wellbeing visits, on-site employee health and wellbeing centers, and access to wellness workshops, fitness challenges, and health trackers via the Health Advocate app.  The Wellness Fund for employees provides reimbursement of up to $260 for personal wellness expenses for team members enrolled in an Erickson Senior Living medical plan. This can help pay for gym memberships, running shoes, a Fitbit, wellbeing care such as massages, and more. 

Each Erickson Senior Living community, like Maris Grove, has a robust program that includes employee-driven committees that aim to educate, raise awareness, and coordinate special events about diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion.

Interested in beginning a career at Maris Grove? Visit our careers website to search for available positions and apply online.