Professional Chefs Find Success and Love at Meadow Ridge
Meadow Ridge is known for its dining options—hand-crafted meals served with the presentation of a fine restaurant and the memorable flavors of a favorite home-cooked meal. Some might say the secret ingredient is love. That may very well be the case at Meadow Ridge, which has promoted two key members of its team, naming Ana Villa dining services manager and Tom Villa executive chef. The couple—both professional chefs —met at the community, married in 2023 and have started a family.
Ana and Tom Villa: A Culinary Power Couple at Meadow Ridge
Ana joined Meadow Ridge in 2019 as lead chef while Tom came on board in 2020 as executive sous chef. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair began working together and were tasked with the same goal: to safely and effectively guide dining room operations while maintaining the level of service and excellence residents expect.
“Watching Ana and Tom work together so seamlessly is a true testament to the power of trust and collaboration that we value here at Meadow Ridge,” said Meadow Ridge Campus Executive Director Chris Barstein. “I am delighted to congratulate both Ana and Tom on their recent promotions and I look forward to their continued success in their respective positions.”
Ana Villa’s Journey to Dining Services Manager
As dining services manager, Ana Villa is responsible for interacting with guests, training new staff, collaborating on new menus, collecting and providing feedback to the kitchen and creating unique dining experiences for guests.
Ana holds an associate’s degree from Lincoln Culinary Institute. She worked in private schools, country clubs and cafes early in her career. Prior to her appointment as dining services manager in December, she served Meadow Ridge as sous-chef for two years.
“The experience that I have gained during my time at Meadow Ridge has helped me to grow not only as a chef, but as a leader,” she said. “I am thankful for a career that allows me to utilize my creativity and inspires me to make a difference in the lives of the people I serve every day.”
Tom Villa’s Culinary Expertise and Executive Chef Role
As executive chef, Tom Villa is responsible for leading the kitchen team, hiring and training new staff, creating menus and executing special events for the community. “Teaching is a major role,” he says, “and the role I like the most.”
Tom earned an associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America and a bachelor’s degree in hotel management from Cornell University. He later pursued a culinary career on the West Coast where he served as a café manager in California.
In 2018, he returned to the East Coast and served as an executive sous chef at Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa in Montauk, New York. Tom joined Meadow Ridge as executive sous chef, a position he held for four years before taking on this new role in January.
The Power of Trust and Collaboration in Dining Services
On working as a couple, he says, “We have similar interests, similar philosophies. However, our methodologies are different. She is a natural leader and I’m more soft spoken. It makes us a really good team. We have different approaches and, when we work together, we have a well-rounded perspective.”
In their spare time, Ana enjoys gardening and writing poetry while Tom tries to get outdoors. They both prioritize spending time with their young family.