New caterer to operate Kent Senior Center lunch program

Published 10:50 am Thursday, April 23, 2026

The city of Kent has hired a new caterer to operate the lunch program at the Kent Senior Center.

Lavish Roots Catering and Hospitality, of Burien, will run the program at 600 E. Smith St., and return the lunches to five days a week starting May 18 from the current schedule of three days per week.

“Lavish Roots Catering emerged as the strongest candidate offering a community-centered approach and a strong commitment to high quality nutritious meals,” said Cindy Robinson, Senior Center manager, in an April 21 report to the City Council’s Committee of the Whole, which approved a $200,000 a year contract with the company, one of two to file a request for proposal with Kent.

Founded in 2015, Lavish Roots Catering is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise established by Carly Duke, Ann Lamb, Brandon LaVielle and Evan Garrard, according to its website. Three of them initially met while attending South Seattle College’s Culinary Arts Program, and Lamb later joined the team to form their partnership.

Robinson said the company currently provides food service for a range of clients including corporate dining meals for Meta and Dropbox.

The cost of the meals will go up to $10 from $9, Robison said, adding the increase reflects rising costs of food, ingredients, labor and operations. Seniors who qualify will receive reduced pricing paid for by King County’s Veterans, Seniors and Human Services (VSHS) property tax levy. The city is required to offer a senior lunch program in order to continue to receive the county funds.

Lavish Roots will provide 65 meals per day, five days a week with the flexibility to add additional meals as needed at a cost of to the city of $11.50 per meal. The city will subsidize $1.50 per each meal to help keep the regular cost at $10 for most meals. The price has been $9 since 2024.

“We are deeply grateful for the city to have subsidized the lunch program since its inception,” Robinson said.

Kent Senior Center has offered lunches for more than 25 years. Robinson told the council about the importance of the program.

“Research consistently shows that two of the most significant challenges facing our aging population is food insecurity and social isolation,” Robinson said. “The Senior Activity Center addresses both of these through its long-standing lunch program and a wide range of activities that encourage participants to stay active, to socialize, to engage in both physical and mental activities.

“For some participants coming to the senior center that is their only meal of the day that for others it’s a meal that will they’ll take home and spread out over multiple days to help themselves remain fed. It’s very important that we continue this program.”

In addition to the lunch program, the center participates in multiple other food access for seniors, including the meals on wheels program, as well as a food pantry, which is covered by the King County levy funds.

Robinson said the city’s former catering provider notified staff in February 2025 that they would be discontinuing the service in June 2025, citing financial considerations, after many years of working with Kent.

“In the interim, a former chef came out of retirement to prepare meals for us three days a week beginning in July,” Robinson said. “While this solution allowed us to continue to meet our VSHS levy requirements and to serve our community, it has proven to be highly labor intensive for our full-time staff and has required significant involvement and diverting resources from other important programs and services.”

But now Lavish Roots Catering will take over the program.

“Approval for this contract will restore the five-day meal service, provide operational stability, enhance program quality and ensure the continued success of this vital service,” Robinson said.