Bambi Elstrom
Sep 2026
Suzanne Lesesne, the Executive Chef was a significant factor in choosing Artisan for my mom's care.<br><br>My love of food began with my Mema, Mom's mom, who cooked every day in her Kansas kitchen. She taught me how to dress a chicken when I was seven.<br><br>My first memory of cooking goes back even further. When I was 2½ years old, I got up in the middle of the night, stood on a chair to turn on the oven, and put a big yellow mixing bowl on the stovetop to make a cake. Mom says when she switched on the overhead light around midnight, I had six or seven eggs cracked into the bowl, two sticks of butter and about a pound of sugar—some in the bowl and the rest crunching under her feet as she walked toward the stove.<br><br>The whooping I received couldn't keep me out of the kitchen.<br><br>Mom was a charter subscriber to Gourmet magazine, which we devoured together. We experimented, cooked and tasted our way through those pages and shared that love of food throughout the years.<br><br>And now, Suzanne, you're carrying the torch.<br><br>The food you make for Mom sustains her body, but more importantly, it fuels her mind and her memories. Food has always been part of our family, and I love knowing that it still brings her enjoyment and, every now and then, perhaps a familiar memory.<br><br>At this point in life, there's nothing better.<br><br>Thank you also to the amazing Artisan staff—from the welcoming ladies at the front desk to the aides who tirelessly care for Mom, comfort her and laugh with her. Those things matter to us.<br><br>And a special shout-out to Aleena, whose sunny attitude keeps the atmosphere bright; the level-headed Michelle; and Marie, who keeps the ship afloat and the decks swabbed.<br><br>Thank you all for caring for my precious mama.<br><br>It means the world to us.
