One of the most popular features of life in an Erickson community is the food! That’s because Erickson’s executive chefs have a reputation for creativity and culinary expertise.

Now they’ve opened their kitchens to The Erickson Tribune. With each issue, you’ll have the chance to meet an executive chef from the Erickson family who will also share a favorite recipe.

Ronald J. Colasanti
Manager and Chef
Great Lakes Dining Room
Henry Ford Village in Dearborn, Michigan

Ron is a graduate of New York’s Culinary Institute of America and has been satisfying taste buds at the Village for almost two years. An avid sports fan (“especially football,” he says), Ron compares his work to leading a sports team. “I love the energy, excitement, and hard work our dining staff bring every day to the workplace,” he says. “It’s challenging, both physically and mentally. And the instant gratification on our dinner guests’ faces is like scoring a touchdown.”

While Ron played sports as a boy, he also was introduced to the art of cooking by his grandmother, mother, and four sisters. “I grew up in an Italian family,” he explains. “My mother is an excellent cook and my grandmother had two kitchens in her home, upstairs and downstairs.”

But Ron didn’t find his calling as a chef until his first job, as a busboy in a restaurant. “This is how it happened,” he explains. “One day someone didn’t show up for work and the chef says to me, ‘Hey you, can you fill in?’ That’s how I started making salads, which led to saute cook, then broiler cook, and so on. I knew then I wanted to be a chef.”

These days you can catch Ron in constant motion, in the kitchen helping staff prepare the menu and in the dining room circulating with the dinner guests. He’s always on the move. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he declares. “I feel fortunate to be here, working with such a tremendous staff and giving satisfaction to the people who live here at Henry Ford Village.”

The following recipe is one of Ron’s personal favorites.