Isabelle Halberstam
Mar 28, 2026
They may not be a band of musicians, but they certainly are a band of exceptional cooks! The Rolling Scones is a cooking club at the Sunrise of Crystal Lake retirement community, facilitating hands-on cooking activities for residents and helping them fulfill their lifelong love of preparing food.
Meet the Rolling Scones! They may not be the famous English rock band from the ‘60s, but they are certainly famous at the Sunrise of Crystal Lake retirement community. The Rolling Scones is a cooking club formed by a group of elders longing to be back in the kitchen. Although these members are no longer cooking for their kids or family, they miss preparing food. According to TODAY (article linked below), “[f]ood has always been about connection, and it is for our residents, who have spent a lifetime cooking with family and friends and the people that they love,” Sunrise’s vice president of hospitality, Caitlin Rogers, says “[w]hat I love about a club like the Rolling Scones is that it just gives back that sense of agency and personal involvement.”
As cooks with years of experience but less demand for their services, the Rolling Scones are cooking for themselves and enjoying the ride. Sunrise’s activity coordinator, Jamie Murphy, admitted that Sunrise’s events mostly involved demonstrations rather than hands-on activities for the residents. Especially considering that meals are prepared by staff, Rolling Scone members lacked a space to express their beloved hobby. According to TODAY (article linked below), Nancy Rieck, a ninety-year old member of the Rolling Scone cooking club, shared that “[t]his creative need that I have is being fulfilled by creating salads.”
Many of the residents at Sunrise have various health conditions that restrict their diets, so in addition to creating delicious dishes, the group makes sure to incorporate nutritious ingredients into their recipes. After each club meeting, there are always leftovers and members are encouraged to bring home food to their friends and loved ones. According to TODAY (article linked below), Rieck says she routinely brings back food for her husband: “[h]e loves all the salads and the pastas and everything that I bring back from cooking club to him.”
1 www.today.com/food/people/rolling-scones-senior-living-cooking-club-rcna261574
This article was adapted from TODAY’s Meet the ‘Rolling Scones,’ the Cooking Club That Gets Senior-Living Residents Back in the Kitchen by Joseph Lamour.
Lamour, Joseph. “Meet the ‘Rolling Scones,’ a Senior-Living Cooking Club.” TODAY.com, TODAY, 4 Mar. 2026, www.today.com/food/people/rolling-scones-senior-living-cooking-club-rcna261574.