Cottage Dining

View Our Full, 6-Week Menu:

Cottage Recipes:

• Banana Spilt Pie
• Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
• Maw Maw's Buckeyes
• Chicken and Walnut Salad
• Apricot Salad

Denise Staples: Food Services Director

Denise Staples has been the Food Services Director at Columbia Cottage in Mountain Brook for many years. She loves to take care of our Residents, and makes sure that their food is delicious and satisfying! At the Cottage, we serve three home-style meals every day, plus we offer a 24-hour light menu and snacks. Denise is proud of making meals from scratch, and always offers her specialty, three desserts at every meal.

She knows exactly what each Resident likes and dislikes and how they prefer their meals. At each mealtime, Denise makes sure that each Resident gets exactly what they want, whether it is an extra slice of meat, no veggies or her extra-sweet tea. One year, before leaving for vacation, Denise used her day off to buy ingredients for a special treat. Right before she left for the week, she prepared a huge batch of the Residents’ favorite Cottage chili, so they could enjoy it while she was gone. She is the “Julia Child” of Columbia Cottage!

During family celebrations and special events, Denise really shines. Not only does she prepare large amounts of delicious food for everyone, she also decorates our dining room! She especially loves our annual summer luau party where she can grill outside and enjoy the fresh air. This past November, Denise cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for over 120 guests!