Dished Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards: Corrine Montiel, Senior Culinary Services Director, Westminster Terrace Senior Living

Corrine Montiel, Senior Culinary Services Director at Westminster Terrace Senior Living, has been named an inaugural member of the DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards by Senior Housing News.

As an Operational Optimizer Award winner, Senior Housing News recognized Montiel for her transformation of Westminster Terrace Senior Living’s dining operations. She restructured prep processes to reduce redundancy, improved meal accuracy with subtle, yet effective, tracking systems, and increased kitchen-to-dining-room communication to better managing pacing. These improvements have led to more timely service, better resident feedback, and higher staff retention. Montiel’s changes haven’t just impacted the kitchen – they have elevated the entire dining experience.

Montiel’s nominator told Senior Housing News, “What sets Corrine apart is her ability to inspire order without sacrificing warmth. She is methodical in her planning and gentle in her guidance. Her staff trusts her because she holds them to a high standard, while giving them the tools to meet it. She doesn’t micromanage – she coaches, develops, and empowers. Corrine’s leadership presence is one of clarity, consistency, and quiet confidence, and the culture she created reflects that.”

Senior Housing News recently sat down with Montiel to learn what drew her to the senior housing & senior living industry, her perspective on culinary trends, her thoughts on the future of dining in senior living, and much more. To learn more about the DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards, visit https://seniorhousingnews.com/2025-dished-innovation-awards/.

SHN: What drew you to dining in the senior housing & senior living industry?

Montiel: At first, I wanted to come in as a server because of my experience, but because of my culinary past, I was talked into being a part of the kitchen team where I ended up learning so much.

SHN: What are the top three trends that you believe are impacting dining innovation in senior living?

Montiel: Good quality entrees made from scratch, plating and presentation, and dining and service etiquette.

SHN: What do you think is the biggest impediment to innovation in senior living dining, and what advice would you give to others about how to overcome this challenge?

Montiel: One of the challenges is introducing positive, helpful changes for service in communities when they are used to their old training. What I like to do is have patience and lead by example. People are visual learners, so I teach with examples until it becomes a habit.

SHN: In one word, how would you describe the future of dining in senior living?

Montiel: Evolving.

SHN: If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of dining in senior living, what would it be and why?

Montiel: The standards in service. If you think about it, we are our seniors’ private cooks and servers, which should make every meal special.

SHN: If you had a crystal ball, what do you think will impact dining in senior housing & senior living now and into 2026?

Montiel: Building up the standards for dining. When we work hard to make every meal service as special as the last one, it brings positive changes to the atmosphere in the communities.

SHN: In your opinion, what qualities must all DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Award winners possess?

Montiel: A quality I had to learn was to accept constructive criticism. Being able to listen, learn and grow from that is the best lesson I’ve ever learned.

SHN: If you could give advice to yourself looking back to your first day in senior living dining, what would it be and why?

Montiel: I would tell Corrine on her first day, “Don’t overthink it. When you overthink it, you miss the full picture. Let everything just flow and you will see how it all falls into place.”

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