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May 2019/Volume 27/Number 9for and about senior citizens in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau Counties A Second CareerPage 2 Veterans PostPage 4 Ideas for LifeSenior ExpoPage 7-18 Free Rideto the ExpoPage 14 New SeniorCommunityPage 19 Mind SharpeningGames & PuzzlesPage 22 NeighborhoodHappeningsPage 23TO THE SENIOR EXPOSEE PAGE 7

It’s Never Too LateBy Kathleen GestWe live in a culinary culture wherefancy and ethnic cuisine have becomemainstream, where there are celebrity driven restaurants and foodies inabundance. Individuals who make thetransition into the culinary businesslater in life do so because they enjoycooking. Age, experience and wisdomare ingredients that give an older chefconsiderable advantage as they enterthe world of culinary arts.After retiring from AT&T at the ageof 53, Cheryl Janz began her secondcareer. She went to school to becomea chef.“What do you get friends for birthdays and holidays after all of theseyears?” Cheryl asks. “Well, I wouldcook meals for them and I would haveto practice three weeks ahead of timeto make all of the recipes I wanted to– just to make sure I could make themand they would come out all right.And I thought, I really should go toschool to learn how to do this.”“So, I sold my house and I boughta condo out in New York and wentto the Culinary Institute of Americain Hyde Park the culinary schoolwas 22 months long and I spent sixof those months in an externship –out side of the institute. I went to theCanyon Ranch in the Berkshires ”The Culinary Institute of America is an American premier privatecollege and culinary school, specializing in culinary, baking, and pastryarts education. The Canyon Ranch isa luxury spa resort.“Everyone who was in the kitchenat the Canyon Ranch was a CulinaryInstitute of Americagraduate – from theexecutive chef downto the line cooksand the preps, eventhe dish washers,”Cheryl recalls. “Iwas the only female,so I couldn’t getaway with anything.They were all veryhelpful. They put mein every position allthe way through, so Ilearned everything –the kitchen culinaryside as well as thebaking pastry side.”Cheryl movedback to the Chicagoarea after culinaryschool, where acouple of her friendswere interested inChef Cheryl Janzdoing a cateringproject. It didn’t work out, becausethey wanted her to teach them everything she had just spent two years anda lot of money going to school for.“In the interim, while I was inChicago, the local communitycollege, College of DuPage, calledme and asked if I would be interestedin doing some night culinary classesfor their Extended Education – it wasvery similar to the situation here atNMC.”“I had been reading in our localpaper and the Chicago Tribune aboutTraverse City and the food centeredculture that was going on,” CherylPrime Time News & Observer is published monthly by Forest Home Publications, L.L.C.remembers. “I came up here to visitmy friends for about a week. We wentto the different restaurants and evenwent to some farmer’s markets.”While Cheryl was in Traverse City,she called Northwestern MichiganCollege to see who was in charge ofthe Extended Education curriculum.After giving Julie Doyal, the culinary coordinator, the information onwho she was and what she had donein the culinary arts, Julie asked herto teach for their community classes.She moved here in 2011 and has beenteaching culinary classes ever since.“I did my traveling before I did myEditor / Publisher Jeffrey HallbergContributors Kathleen GestBob SimpsonPrime Time News & ObserverP.O. Box 1071Bellaire, MI 49615Phone: .comPrime Time News & Observer is not responsiblefor unsolicited contributions. Address all inquiriesand letters to the editor. Prime Time News &Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Lettersshould be no longer than 200 words. PTNOreserves the right to edit letters for grammar andclarity. We look forward to hearing from you.Prime Timecooking, because in my first job I traveled the world,” Cheryl reminisces. “Iam totally open and have no specialcuisine. I like to immerse myself intodifferent countries like Morocco,Italy, Spain, France, etc. I like givingthe student the whole idea of what thatcountry is like and what the food is.My favorite cooking is to have a mainmeal meat, vegetable, starch, saladand a fruit dessert – so the students getthe whole idea of what that country’sfood is like.”“In the mean time, I was baking forother people and I thought, I am givingall of this away and it is costing memoney,” Cheryl grimaces. “So, I wentto check out the Farmer’s Market inTraverse City. They said no, becausethey had too many grandfathered infor pastry vendors. Then I went up tothe Leelanau Farmer’s Market andtalked to them and they said yes getyour certification through the Stateand pass a class we give.”“I am still doing the Leelanau Farmer’s Market and that is why I don’tteach in the summer. I have two tothree markets every week. I makescones, fruit tarts, muffins, bread,cookies, etc. As a cottage vendor Inthe State of Michigan, I make it in myhome kitchen I go to the marketsin Suttons Bay, Northport and GlenArbor. That gives me a day or two inbetween to do the baking, because Ilike to make everything fresh.”Cheryl has a thought on what ittakes to be a chef in today’s culinaryscene.“I am most proud of the fact I havedone it all myself and I have doneit using my home kitchen I havebeen able to build a good reputation by word of mouth. I also see alot of repeat people in my ExtendedEducation classes. To know that theyare happy about what I taught them,what I had them do, how I presentedit and my selections of recipes - thatjust makes me feel good all around,”Cheryl admits.MAY 2019

Iron Overloads BodyDEAR DR. ROACH: Iwas hoping that you couldanswer a quick question. Iam a 46-year-old femaleand have hemochromatosis. I can’t get very goodmedical care where I live.It’s a small town where Ican’t switch doctors, andmine is subpar. Anyway, I just had a bloodtest, and my ferritin is 39 and my saturationis 0.76. I don’t know if I need a phlebotomy.The doc likes to have me do it when myferritin is in the 50-75 range. He has NEVERmentioned saturation before. Can you shedsome light on this? -- A.R.ANSWER: Hemochromatosis is ironoverload caused by the body being unableto reduce iron absorption even when itdoesn’t need iron. The high iron saturationis a good test for diagnosing hemochromatosis. However, it’s the ferritin that bestapproximates total body iron stores.A large proportion of the body’s ironis located in the red blood cells, so byremoving these through phlebotomy (literally, “bloodletting” -- usually the blood isdonated), iron is taken out of the body. Mostexperts remove iron through phlebotomyuntil ferritin levels are below 50. Someone with a ferritin of 39 probably doesn’tneed treatment, since the total body iron isnearly normal.Women who are still menstruating havesome degree of protection against ironoverload, although it certainly still is possible to develop problems if the iron intakeis greater than iron output, in which casephlebotomy is necessary.DEAR DR. ROACH: My problem is that Iam losing my hair. I am a 63-year-old galin relatively good health who walks forexercise, eats a healthy, balanced diet andtakes a pill each day to manage cholesterol and blood pressure. I do not have athyroid problem, nor do I have diabetes. Mydermatologist told me I do not have alopecia, as some of my siblings do. Instead, hesuggested that my hair loss -- and specifically the thinning of the hair on top of myscalp -- is due to heredity; male patternbaldness runs through both sides of myfamily.MAY 2019So here’s the question:Is it safe and/or effectiveto take 5,000 mcg of overthe-counter biotin supplements to lessen the effect ofhair loss, or is this productineffective and just beingpushed on women by pharmaceutical and vitaminmanufacturers to increase sales and profits, and to manipulate the consumer intobelieving that this expensive vitamin product is essential to our well-being? Thankyou. -- C.W.R.calling all fancy hats-see page 7ANSWER: Biotin has been studied forboth male pattern and female pattern baldness, and has had limited success, especially when combined with other vitaminsand nutritional supplements (60 percenteffectiveness versus 11 percent in oneplacebo-controlled trial). It might be wortha try, since it is very safe.Traverse City’s JoyfulSenior and Assisted Living CommunityAs far as expense goes, I found biotintablets for 6 cents each at an onlineretailer. It certainly isn’t essential to wellbeing; in fact, with a healthy diet, I believeno supplement is essential. Vitamin andsupplement manufacturers may try tomake you think supplements are essential, but there is no good evidence for this.Taking it to try to improve a problem likemale-pattern baldness is reasonable, butif it doesn’t help significantly, save yourmoney.Dedicated to Care with DignityLife here is active and engaging – with a full menu of things todo and places to go – supported by a wide spectrum of availableservices. Our emphasis is always on creating a warm, comfortableenvironment – in the building and grounds, the decor, the good food,and in the genuine personal relationships that flourish here.Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable toanswer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column wheneverpossible. Readers may email questions toToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.(c) 2019 North America Synd., Inc.All Rights ReservedWe welcome your visit.TraverseManor.com 231 946 2999 1899 Dracka Road, Traverse CityAn 8-acre campus in a country setting close to the amenities of townThe sooner you call, themore we can help.Our State. Our Town.Our Hospice.Prime Time888-247-5701 or hom.org10850 E Traverse Hwy #1155, Traverse CityA member of theCare Community3