Seniors find good eats for an affordable price

One of Fallbrook’s most popular lunchtime eateries doesn’t have a formal name, and you won’t find it in fast food fliers, the Yellow Pages or Internet search engines.

But once patrons find it, they get lunch, bread, salad, coffee, milk and juice for under a fin. Most customers get all that for a mere $3. No tips are solicited, fresh flowers decorate the tables and the servers and cashiers are usually volunteers. And once a month, everyone shares cake and sings “Happy Birthday” in honor of those celebrating another year’s passage.

And, given today’s dysfunctional economy, the eatery is one of Fallbrook’s busiest lunch spots. On a typical day, about 140 meals are prepared for seated patrons and home delivery. The customers who dine in the eatery, sometimes up to 65 a day, are typically served their meals and out the door in 30 minutes or less.

The eatery’s crew prepared nearly 1,320 meals for home delivery in September and about 965 others were served on site.

Where is this place, you ask?

Some folks call it “Rudy’s,” but most simply refer to it as the weekday lunches that are served at the Fallbrook Community Center under the auspices of the nearby Fallbrook Senior Citizens Club. The lunches, and the Fallbrook Street setting where they are served, recently harvested some rave reviews in a weeklong survey that was done by a committee of the nonprofit senior club.

Of the 54 responses collected, 44 customers rated the quality of meals as a five, the highest score available. The rest of those surveyed judged the meal quality as “average.” No one marked the “poor” category during the Oct. 3-7 survey period. The responses were similar for the program’s salad bar. Forty-seven people gave the top rating when asked whether the meal environment is “warm and friendly.”

The survey also served up a whopping helping of kudos and suggestions.

There was hefty praise for the birthday celebrations, the flowers, the friendly servers and the salad bar.

“Keep up the good work. Everything is perfect,” one respondent said.

The survey results held few surprises for Virginia Cooke, executive director of the club that was founded in 1974. Cooke said she pops in daily to check on the meal quality and ambiance.

Cooke, who was hired about a year ago, is a relative newcomer to the meals that have been offered to seniors and others in the community for about 20 years. Rudolpho Pedrosa has been the chef there for the past 13 years. David Vidaca has delivered meals to shut-in seniors for about 15 years. Rosamaria Rosas has worked as a kitchen assistant for about a year.

Cooke helps plan the meals, which are then reviewed by a San Diego County nutritionist. The county partly subsidizes the cost of the meals. Seniors age 60 and older are asked to donate $3 each to help offset the cost. A $4 donation is requested from customers who are younger than 60. Diners are asked to contribute an additional $1.50 if they dish out a large salad.

Yet even with the donations and the county subsidy, the nonprofit senior club must make up a $3,000 to $4,000 shortfall every month to cover the cost of the meals, Cooke said.

The salad bar, a rolling cart that was provided by the county in June, has been a big hit, Cooke said.

“It’s been a very good response,” she said. “Plus, it ups the nutritional content of the meals, which makes the county nutritionist happy.”

The hot meals feature a different entree each day. During the survey period, Pedrosa prepared and served the following main dishes: lasagna, barbecue ribs, roast beef, teriyaki chicken and breaded shrimp with rice. None of those choices was repeated throughout the month.

Those that help prepare and serve the meal and those that enjoy it enjoy a camaraderie.

It’s that interaction, as well as the good food and friendship, that has lured Marilyn Prinsen to the lunches several days a week for the past six years.

“The food is great. The price is right and the company is terrific,” said Prinsen, who is about to turn 89. Prinsen no longer drives, and she usually dines on TV dinners when she eats at home.

“You see some good friends and you make good friends from all walks of life,” she said. “And it’s good food. I have to say that again.”

*Reprinted from the Storyteller Series, Fallbrook Senior Chronicle.

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