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Vistancia's Cooking with the Community Manager
Date Published: Dec 10, 2009

VISTANCIA'S COMMUNITY MANAGER PROMOTES GOODWILL AND GREAT FOOD WITH QUARTERLY COOKING DEMOS

Residents of master planned communities seldom come face-to-face with their community managers unless a neighborhood conflict is involved.
But you'll find Vistancia's Community Manager Lisa Lundskow front and center demonstrating beloved family recipes to a rapt crowd of homeowners anxious to have a word - not about the neighbor's landscape but how she got that beef roast so tender.

Lundskow and her special guest and fellow foodie Bob Bambauer, vice president of operations for developer Sunbelt Holdings at Vistancia and the private community of Blackstone in Peoria, began presenting "Cooking with Your Community Manager" demonstrations last summer as a way to meet homeowners and share interesting recipes and cooking techniques.

"Our first demo over the summer was well-attended and gave us great feedback. But the best part was when the residents left, they gave me a hug. It was a personal connection," she explained.

The most recent presentation, held last month at the community's Mountain Vista Club, was packed with residents eager to learn how to smoke beef, pork and turkey for the coming holidays. Lundskow, who cooks primarily on a gas grill at home, demonstrated both grilling and smoking beef and pork roasts while Bambauer prepared a turkey on a standard charcoal grill. "I take the simple route while Lisa's the perfectionist," said Bambauer. Learning to cook when he was a kid, Bambauer assists Lundskow in creating the menus and providing the recipes for the demos.

"I have some great recipes that I wanted to share," said Lundskow whose home was her family's holiday gathering spot when she lived in Chicago. "Everyone congregated at my house which was the biggest after I moved out to the suburbs."

Following a 20-year career in management, she moved to Phoenix and joined Capital Consultants Management Corporation (CCMC), the company selected by the developer to manage Vistancia. She was named Vistancia's community manager last year.

Not only did residents at the recent demonstration sample and receive smoking instructions for the delectable meats but they could also sample hearty side dishes including a puff pastry appetizer, fresh cranberry sauce, fresh green beans with almonds, double-baked mashed potatoes and scalloped sweet potato and apples with pecans.They also went home with a recipe book for every dish as well as for a turkey brine and an organic poultry rub.

"Cooking for a large family for many years helped me learn to streamline the holiday cooking process," Lundskow pointed out. "As a result, many of the dishes Bob and I prepared can be made a day or two ahead of time."

Appreciative residents stayed long after the food was gone to ask questions and get to know Lundskow and Bambauer. "It's a great idea for Lisa to do this," said Tom and Donna Huey, who moved to Vistancia last July. "One of the reasons we came tonight was to meet the community manager in addition to getting some new recipes for the holidays."

Lundskow said she and Bambauer are planning the next cooking demonstration early next year. "Everyone seems to want to get involved so this time we're inviting a resident to demonstrate for the next session." Even other community managers from CCMC-managed properties in the Valley are calling her for advice on producing their own interactive cooking programs. "It's a great example of how cooking can bring not only friends and families but communities together."

Tips for Smoking Poultry, Pork and Beef

Poultry Preparation:

Rub down turkey or chicken with vegetable or olive oil.
Coat all over with rub mixture. (see recipe)

Beef and Pork Preparation:

Rub down meat with olive oil.
Coat all over with rub mixture.
Soak twine and cheese cloth in water.
Wrap with the cheese cloth and tie with twine.

Set meats directly on the smoker rack. Cooking time is approximately 45-60 minutes per pound.