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Granite Hill Estates to Hold Annual Taste of Chocolate

Free and Open to the Public, the Taste Features the Creations of Chef Joe Thornton

To commemorate Valentine's Day, Granite Hill Estates (GHE), the Kennebec Valley's premier continuing care retirement community, will conduct its Annual Taste of Chocolate on Friday, February 12, 2010, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The event will be held in the Maine Lodge Dining Room. Admission is free and open to the public.

"We look forward to sharing this taste of sweet living at Valentine's Day," said Jennifer Fleck, GHE's Executive Director. "Chef Joey goes unsung most of the year. So, since chocolate is one of his favorite things to work with, we relish this opportunity to share his treats with the community. He calls it his luscious labor of love. We just call for more."

Chef Joe Thornton, known affectionately as Chef Joey, has been at Granite Hill for more than seven years. After getting his start selling hotdogs in Freeport, Maine, Chef Joey received formal training in the U.S. Army, training as a Food Service Specialist with the 101st Airborne Division. After tours in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm -- and in Homestead, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew -- Chef Joey left the Army to earn in a degree in Culinary Arts from the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach. The Taste of Chocolate will feature an array of Chef Joey's desserts and other chocolate treats.

To get to Granite Hill Estates, take exit 109 from the south or 109B from the north off I-95 (Winthrop). Head west on Route 202. Take a left onto Edison Drive. GHE is on the right.

About Granite Hill Estates

GHE is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) nestled on 135 wooded acres in the heart of the Kennebec Valley. Offering cottage homes and apartments, GHE provides a full complement of amenities and services, including an indoor heated swimming pool; a fully equipped fitness center; snow shoveling, lawn care, and exterior home maintenance; housekeeping; and appliance maintenance. GHE received its CCRC designation from the Maine Bureau of Insurance in November of 2004. And GHE provides a complete continuum of care, on campus, through the MaineGeneral Health System. For additional information, please visit www.granitehillestates.com.