While all the children at Polinsky Children’s Center are sleeping, Executive Chef Isa Olloni will be hard at work in the kitchen as early as 3 a.m. prepping for his favorite holiday. His goal is simply to make the children feel special and happy.
“They are going to have a feast,” he said excitedly, after describing some of the healthy but delicious fare he plans to serve.
The Kearny Mesa Polinsky Children’s Center offers emergency shelter care for children ranging in age from newborn to 18 years old. It is operated by San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency and offers medical services, psychological assessment and treatment, and a year-round school for grades K-12.
“We go all out to really provide a family-style Thanksgiving,” said Norma Rincon, Child Welfare Services manager.
Olloni starts the children out with a special breakfast of poached eggs and tortillas to make sure they can hold out for the big meal. He even includes two healthy snacks for the children who are sitting down to watch football or are coming in hungry after playing outside.
Chef Olloni starts the preparations days before Thanksgiving but much of it has to be done on Thanksgiving because he is earnest about using fresh vegetables and fruit, and making everything from scratch. Before coming to work for the County 11 years ago, Olloni worked as a chef for television and movie studios feeding movie stars like Anthony Hopkins. He takes the same care in preparing food for Polinsky’s children as he did making meals for big stars.
The main course will be a roasted whole tom turkey, Caesar salad, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, homemade cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, and roasted sweet potatoes with honey glaze, baked green bean casserole, fresh sliced fruit, fresh baked dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
Olloni quickly points out that doesn’t include the appetizers he prepares as well such as a pastry baked fresh with ricotta, egg, and cottage cheese and another pastry with spinach, feta and ricotta cheese which are cut up and served to the children.
This year, some children asked for chocolate-dipped strawberries and ice cream, and he plans to accommodate those special requests. In previous years, he has made special arrangements for children who don’t eat meat or have special diets like those who need gluten-free foods.
Each of the center’s seven cottages is similar to little group homes and including one house for babies and another for toddlers. The children are served the food family-style inside their cottage. The cottage dining tables are set and decorated, and Olloni presents and begins carving each of the birds himself.
He makes special preparations for the babies and toddlers, pureeing or cutting up food into tiny pieces so they can enjoy the same nutritious and tasty meal as everyone else.
“Cooking is my passion, I like to cook,” said the chef, who is of Sicilian and Albanian descent. He tells a story that his mother used to tell him about the key to cooking: essentially if you cook while you’re happy and with love, the food comes out tasting wonderful. If you’re upset about something, it will not come out right.
Based on his reviews from staff and the posters decorating his office from the children, he is a top chef in the hearts of the children at Polinsky Children’s Center.
