Greater Reno Assisted Living – Dedicated to Creating
a True Home

An important part of providing exceptional senior assisted living services is helping residents to maintain their independence. To achieve that goal, we offer WellStar, our signature activities program for physical, social, spiritual and emotional wellness.

However, the distinguishing mark of MorningStar…the one we brag most about…the one that attracts the most attention is our atmosphere of love and community. With this, we can—and do—offer the very best in senior assisted living, memory care and respite care in Greater Reno.

Our entire team is engaged in finding ways to build that spirit of community, one loving relationship at a time. Even for respite care residents (here for a short recuperative stay) or our retreat residents (here for a trial stay), there’s the promise of new friendships. And for the most tender among us, our memory care residents, each day presents the opportunity to stimulate the brain and find moments of spontaneous joy.

Our community is conveniently located east of Reno in the Sparks neighborhood of Wingfield Springs. The Reno-Sparks area is just 59 miles from Lake Tahoe.

Extraordinary Service

Senior Outreach Services awarded MorningStar of Sparks the “Extraordinary Service to Seniors Award” for our ongoing efforts within the Reno-Sparks community. Senior Outreach Services is sponsored by the Sanford Center for Aging, a division of the University of Nevada, and offers support to Washoe County’s senior population.

MorningStar’s Top Rating with Caring.com

MorningStar of Sparks has been awarded the Service Excellence Award, based on praises received by families and eldercare experts in online reviews on Caring.com.

Introducing MorningStar’s European-Trained Executive Chef…Jacques Cornelis

I’ve had three jobs in the last 36 years. So, I’d say I’m a pretty loyal guy,” laughs Jacques Cornelis, executive chef.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge, having never walked away from one in my entire career! A huge motivator for me is a well-designed kitchen. MorningStar’s is bigger and better than what I’m accustomed to. And we’ve already got a great crew in the kitchen.”

Born in Temse, Belgium, Jacques first entered a professional kitchen at 14. For the next four years, it was one day of school and four days of culinary apprenticeship at De Watermolen, a Michelin-starred restaurant. (Michelin awards the pinnacle of culinary perfection around the world with its hard-won much-coveted stars.) “I fell in love from Day One. You either have the Hospitality Gene or you don’t.”

Upon graduation, Jacques worked ten years in the finest restaurants in Antwerp, Brussels and Paris. On why French cuisine holds the world’s stage, he explains simply, “It’s the sauces. They can make the plainest dish extraordinary. Besides, France offers the greatest of food baskets to work with.”

At 28 he came to America, drawn by culinary opportunities that a dense European landscape could not offer. He invested 21 years at JC Resorts, a family-owned hotel group in San Diego, serving as chef, food and beverage manager and GM of a golf course. Longing to return his full attention to the kitchen, Jacques joined Tahoe’s Resort at Squaw Creek in 2000, overseeing five restaurants for the next eight years. He then joined Cascades of the Sierras, a neighboring senior living community.

In 2007, Jacques won Iron Chef’s “Blazing Pans” event at the Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, pitted against the chef of North Star. Each were to prepare as many dishes as possible in an hour using the same surprise ingredient: foie gras, which is fatty duck liver. For a European-trained chef, though, it was a piece of cake.

Chef’s specialities? Well, in a word, everything. After 50 years in the profession, Jacques is accomplished in all types of cuisines. “With perfected techniques and correct improvisation, you can prepare anything.”

On the deep satisfaction of working in senior living, Jacques comments this way: “I’ll be 64 next month. So I have a very good understanding of the special requirements of senior clients. In other words, I know what rings their bell.” But give Jacques any audience and watch him perform. He loves walking the dining room and hearing feedback. He regularly hosts made-to-order omelette stations and monthly cooking demonstrations in our community.

The best ending to this Chef’s day? When Jacques goes home and cooks for his favorite diner: grown daughter, Suzanne, the Life Enrichment Coordinator at MorningStar of Sparks.

The unique mission statement of MorningStar of Sparks, “to honor, to serve, to invest,” sets us apart from other senior living communities. Our foundation is built upon honoring God, valuing all seniors, and investing in staff with a felt calling to serve. Dedicated to creating a real home for residents within a beautiful setting, we encourage you to see for yourself our exceptional offering for independent and assisted living in Reno, NV.