“Each week, meal reservations have increased,” said Pat Brown, board secretary/treasurer. “We attribute the positive response to having an experienced cook.”

Sterling Peryam, a retired cook with 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, joined the center as head cook in December, and assistant cook Rocky Scarlassara started in September.

“We got real lucky with these two,” board president Beverly Broad said.

Before the pandemic shutting down the center, the site had dwindled down to serving about five to six meals a day.

THE CRYSTAL FALLS Senior/Community Center serves evening meals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Here, assistant cook Rocky Scarlassara does prep work for the evening meal while head cook Sterling Peryam can be seen in back. The center has had more people come in since Peryam took over preparing meals. That has encouraged the board to seek additional staff and volunteers with the goal of expanding their services, such as serving meals four evenings a week and adding community activities for all ages. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“Those were mostly board members — we couldn’t continue with these numbers,” Brown added.

They now serve almost 50 meals on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with their special turkey dinners topping those numbers.

“That’s great for our little town,” Broad added. “The two of them are outstanding in the kitchen.”

Many regulars already have voiced their requests for a return of some of their favorites.

“Like meatloaf, for example — I don’t recall it being popular prior to Sterling arriving,” Brown said.

THE EXTERIOR OF the Crystal Falls Senior/Community Center at 601 Marquette Ave. in Crystal Falls, which serves evening meals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

Peryam also will accommodate those people who need gluten-free meals.

Their salad bar has also been a hit, receiving many compliments.

With Peryam taking over the kitchen, the two board members are able to focus on other aspects of the center.

“We used to have to be involved with the menu and purchasing — we don’t have to worry now, which is very nice,” Broad said.

Center staff also believe it’s important to purchase food from local vendors, they said.

Brown and Broad stressed that the center isn’t just for seniors but welcomes everyone at any age.

The center offers a nutritious meal at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Takeouts are available at 4 p.m. and salad bar opens at 4:30 p.m.

Suggested donations for the meal are $5 for seniors older than 60 and $6 for those 60 and younger. To-go meals are $1 extra for cost of the containers. All dinners include the salad bar, homemade desserts, coffee, tea or milk. They asked for reservations to be called in by 1 p.m. that day. Delivery is available to homebound residents only.

Menus are posted monthly at the center and on their Facebook page.

The board hopes to be able to expand to four meals a week in the future, but doing that would require hiring additional staff.

They also want to be a full-service facility — hosting classes, cards, bingo, puzzles and board games — that could be a hub for locals to be able to come and socialize. The board welcomes any suggestions on what they should offer.

Members of the community already can rent space for birthday parties, showers, rummage sales, crafts classes and more. The dining room can accommodate about 40 guests.

But none of this will be possible without more volunteers, Brown noted, adding, “We have some great help, including our young volunteers.”

The board is focused as well on the old building’s maintenance and repairs needs. They plan this year to replace windows and the handicap-accessible ramp, plus painting the exterior.

While the center’s doors were closed due to COVID-19, the basement flooded and they lost everything.

“Somehow when things like this happen, you pull together and a real camaraderie builds,” Broad said. “It was to our good when we were able to finally open again.”

They recently also replaced their refrigerators, stoves and range hood. “These items were a big bite — we need to do things gradually,” Broad said.

The board is grateful to those who assisted them over the years, including the city of Crystal Falls.

Donations for the operations and upkeep of the center are always appreciated.

The Crystal Falls Center opened at 601 Marquette St. in the late 1970s. They have offered different services and activities over the four-plus decades.

The operation became independent about five years ago, after previously being run by the Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency, Brown said.

The six-member board meets once a month, on the third Wednesday. They also have an annual meeting at 10 a.m. the third Monday in May. All meetings are open to the public.

“We are moving in a positive direction and encourage everyone to come down and check out the center and enjoy a meal,” Brown said.

For more information, to make meal reservations or to rent the facility, call 906-875-6709.