Amberwood Care Centre-Rockford, IL

Steve Pahnke

  Steve is the Dietary Manager here at Amberwood and has been working here for 15 years.  He began his work in health care after retiring from the United States Air Force in August of 1990 with 25 years of service. Steve and his family moved to Machesney Park in 1991, where he started his work in health care. In 1994, he enrolled in a Dietary Manager Course at Rock Valley College. A year later, he completed the course and took the Illinois State Certification test in Springfield. Steve passed the exam and was certified.  He came to Amberwood in August of 1996 and was hired as a cook.  Three days later, Steve was promoted to Dietary Manager.  He is responsible for all food orders, kitchen sanitation, resident charting and care plans.

    In addition to his duties as Dietary Manager, Steve has maintained the landscaping and beautiful flowers in the courtyard. As soon as it is warm enough, tulips, lilies and many other spring flowers appear. When the spring flowers have faded, he plants huge, beautiful baskets of colorful flowering plants for the shepherd’s hooks in the courtyard and maintains them all throughout the year.

    When not at Amberwood, planning meals and tending the gardens, Steve likes to enjoy time with his family.  He has been married to his wife, Linda, for over 40 years!  They have five children (4 sons and 1 daughter) and 12 grandchildren.

Steve is an integral part of Amberwood, inside and out.  He takes pride in providing good, healthy meals to the residents, while meeting their personal and specific dietary needs.  His dedication to the community has even carried him outside the kitchen and into the gardens where he helps to provide not only a wonderful setting for residents and their families to relax and enjoy nice summer days, but beautiful views from the windows. 

If you have questions regarding life at our community or would like to schedule a tour, please call 815-964-2200 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it