50+ Lifestyles

Chef Continues His Culinary Journey with Ridgecrest Village and Sodexo

By Anne Coffman
Marketing Director at Ridgecrest Village

Chef Donnie McDuffy’s journey started very young cooking and baking with his mother. This led to a career that spans over 30 years in the Culinary Arts. He has a long-standing professional relationship indirectly managing food services for senior retirement living and in the restaurant industry.

Before starting his career as a chef, Donnie leads a double life. When he was younger and in school, he was into sports and was a star basketball player. Away from school, he showed a creative flair which lends itself to the kitchen. He loved helping his mom in the kitchen, but he did not let his friends know. Back then it was not as accepted as it is today for a man to know his way around the kitchen. But eventually they learned and had him cook for them.

Becoming a chef was not his initial career path. Like most young men involved in sports Donnie dreamed of becoming a pro basketball player. His Major in college was art and advertising.

He chose the chef career path after his basketball scholarship ran out and he still had a year of school left. He started at Burger King and worked his way up. Finally taking a pay cut to work at Jumer’s in Bettendorf. Despite the pay cut he was earning his chef’s coat under the tutelage of some amazing chefs such as Executive Chef Peter Schneider (German Cuisine). Donnie then moved on to work for Master Chef Hari Broza at the Radisson Hotel (Jewish, Indonesian, Thai, Dutch, Hispanic, Japanese, Mediterranean, and Bavarian Cuisine).

In the late 1990’s Donnie took a new direction into the senior retirement living sector, starting at Friendship Manor. There he discovered his dream career as a chef for seniors, while performing chef duties and event planning for senior residents.

Donnie is a Certified Occupational Chef. At 6 ft. 6, this former college basketball player, and current high school basketball coach cuts an imposing figure in the kitchen.

Donnie also has been a group leader at The Martin Luther King Center and has run basketball camps at St Ambrose University. He currently coaches Sophomore boys basketball at Davenport West high school and has coached many other basketball teams to winning seasons. He has a career that he loves while teaching kids the sport he loves.

Donnie and his lovely wife of 24 years Lynette, currently reside in Davenport and have 3 children, and 4 grandchildren.

Ridgecrest Village is proud to partner with Sodexo, a world leader in foodservice with a well-respected culinary history, to bring a new level of food service to our residents. Chef Donnie is excited about this new opportunity, and he is dedicated to creating an exceptional dining experience for the residents. He is looking forward to continuing his culinary journey with Ridgecrest Village, and Sodexo.

Once Ridgecrest is again open to the public, we invite you to come to take a tour and have lunch with us. For more information on tours call Karen McCoy at (563) 388-3563 or Anne Coffman at (563) 388-3215 or check our website at www.ridgecrestvillage.org.

Anne Coffman is Marketing Director for Ridgecrest Village in Davenport, Iowa. For more information about Ridgecrest Village, contact Anne at 563-388-3215