Patrick & Dawn Nickleson

Knowing they could make a difference, Patrick and Dawn created Passion for Dining and Nutrition (aka PDN) in 2017. With over 45 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, training from Le Cordon Bleu in Patisserie & Baking, and a mutual love for food, the Nicklesons bring a unique collaborative approach to promoting and creating healthy delicious meals for senior living residents.

Since 2017, PDN has tailored their services to meet the needs of the industry. They have provided hands-on training and support to dozens of providers by redesigning menus & recipes, improving quality scores, and transitioning operations to self-op. PDN has also collaborated with industry leaders to develop innovative, time-saving tools. With EduCare they created Culinary4U, an online learning platform with 40 courses, and FreshMenus by PDN is a collection of menus now available in eMenuCHOICE.

As business grew so did the team. PDN hired their first Chef in 2021, and one Chef quickly became 12. As of summer 2024, PDN is a team of 20 talented professionals. Not only are they talented, our unique team provides leadership, mentoring and an incredible attitude!