Nancy Diefenderfer knows a thing or two about service. Her husband is an Army veteran, and her son is currently on active duty in the Army, stationed overseas. She has been serving up mouth-watering cuisine as the executive chef at Hillcrest of Loveland for more than a year. And now, she’s sharing a heartwarming project that benefits mental wellness programs for veterans.
Nancy has proudly served the American Legion Auxiliary for over a decade, and is currently a member at Unit 1879 at Colorado State University. So, when Unit 1879 decided to create a limited-edition coffee-table cookbook, Nancy leapt at the chance to research, kitchen-test, and evaluate recipes for the book.
The cookbook anthology titled “SerVe: Revisiting a Century of American Legion Auxiliary Cookbooks” bridges generations with 200 timeless recipes, photographs, veterans’ stories, and military history. To date, more than 1,800 books have been sold, and “SerVe” has already been awarded the American Legion Auxiliary “National Presidents Award For Excellence.”
“Our unit spent two years working on this project, exploring Auxiliary fundraiser cookbooks in search of recipes to include,” said Nancy. “But ‘SerVe’ is more than a cookbook. Among the collection of recipes from the past 100 years are fascinating military stories that honor our veterans’ bravery and highlight the sacrifices that veterans and their families have made.”
Nancy and her husband, Daniel, are lifetime members of the American Legion “Family,” and actively live the organization’s mission – to enhance the well-being of America’s veterans, their families, our military, and communities by devotion to mutual helpfulness.
Monthly, Nancy hosts a veteran brunch at Hillcrest of Loveland, senior living community. The brunch menu includes recipes from the “SerVe” cookbook, “Mess Cook” specials, and smoked meats that are prepared on-site by her husband.
“My husband, Daniel, served in two war eras and earned two National Defense Medals,” said Nancy. “He often helps with Hillcrest’s veteran brunches by bringing his meat smoker to the community. But what he enjoys more is talking with our residents, many of whom are also veterans.”
“I’m aware of how previous generations advocated for me to have the best medical treatment and education,” said Daniel.
“It’s my honor and duty to continue to advocate for future generations. Part of that is learning from other veterans. It’s more than camaraderie; it’s about listening to veterans’ stories that need to be heard,” added Daniel.
This Veterans Day, if you’re looking for a way to honor our veterans or simply looking for a gift this holiday season, why not pick up a copy of “SerVe”? To order your copy, visit ALAServeCookbook.com.
To learn more about Hillcrest of Loveland, or join us for our monthly veterans’ brunch, call 970-593-9800.
