JGS Lifecare Opens Michael’s Café

LONGMEADOW — JGS Lifecare opened Michael’s Café at the Sosin Center for Rehabilitation on Dec. 12, the first day residents moved into the new rehab center. The kosher café offers classics like grab-and-go sandwiches on rye bread, bagels, baked goods, salads, and soup, as well as specialty items like ‘Converse Street potatoes,’ shakshuka, and slow-simmered corned beef, which will be available on Wednesdays.

“We hope it will be a community gathering space for residents, guests, and families to meet, enjoy a meal, and gather with friends,” said Alexis Girhiny, director of Food Services at JGS Lifecare.

The kosher café is dedicated to the memory of the late Michael Frankel, who was an outspoken advocate for Project Transformation, an initiative of reimagining and improving how care is delivered across the JGS Lifecare family of services.

“Naming the café in his honor is a permanent tribute not only to Frankel’s extraordinary commitment to the care of our elders at the highest standards, but also his vision for JGS Lifecare for generations to come,” said Susan Kimball Halpern, vice president of Philanthropy for JGS Lifecare.

The work of several local artists is displayed in the café and throughout the Sosin Center. Artists include Lewis Bryden, Diana Cote, Heidi Coutu, Laura Eden, Peiliang Jin, Cindy Lutz Kornet, Laura Radwell, and Jim Rosenthal.

Michael’s Café is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Saturdays, the café offers Help Yourself Snacks from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Sundays, breakfast is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Rabbi Devorah Jacobson is also holding a free drop-in class called “Nosh & Learn: Greatest Hits from the Talmud” at the café on Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Call JGS Lifecare at (413) 567-6211 for dates and weather or other cancellations. For information about daily specials at Michael’s Café, call (413) 935-5000.