Unsung Heroes of the SCV Senior Center by

With hundreds of clients each day, the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center is a strong force in the Santa Clarita Valley, offering classes in everything from creative writing to Tai Chi. One of the center’s most beloved programs is a great meal service in the form of home delivery or cafeteria-style dining. About 500 people use these food services daily, through the three congregate sites and food delivery, and each day, it takes an amazing kitchen staff of four, plus many volunteers, to feed the massive crowd day in and day out. In a four-part series, we introduce the faces who make the Senior Center’s treasured meal program a possibility. First, meet the woman in charge.

Joanna Vallelunga, Director of Food Services
Joanna Vallelunga is a San Jose native with an extreme passion for cooking. As the Director of Food Services, Vallelunga creates the menu, oversees the cooking staff, and cooks the meals.
Vallelunga grew up in a Sicilian household that was always full of great food. She counts her mother and grandmother as the starting agents of her passion to cook. Their Sunday meals of meatballs and fresh tomato sauce have become a recipe she uses, with a few modifications, at the Senior Center.
In 2011, Vallelunga had the honor of attending Le Cordon Bleu, which expanded her view of cooking to include the professional world and continued to cultivate her love for food.
Going into her third year at the Senior Center, Vallelunga has greatly expanded the menu. New items include Galinhada topped with Farofa, Russian Chicken with Ukrainian Sides, Lemon Caper Chicken, Cuban Chicken, Liver and Onions, and Gosht Pulao. She has added foods from various cultures in order to widen the seniors’ food palette and cultivate new taste buds. Vallelunga chooses the menu for the year, and her dietician then approves it based on standards set by the county for a proper senior diet.
Vallelunga chose the Senior Center because she loves being involved with seniors. She used a service similar to the Senior Center’s home delivery program for her mother, so the service is close to her heart. The chance to make a difference in seniors’ lives has made the Senior Center the “most fun and rewarding” job she has ever had.
Away from the Senior Center, Vallelunga likes to spend her time outdoors: biking, riding motorcycles, fishing, and walking her dogs. She also enjoys playing the drums and exploring Los Angeles.