By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
A BERWICK chef has been cooking up a storm in recent months.
Bupa Berwick’s head chef Chris Mann was named the National Chef Manager of the Year at the 2015 OSCAR Aged Care Hospitality Awards (ACHA).
The 20-year chef said it was a “great honour” to be recognised in the awards.
“Cooking for our residents is a real privilege. Food brings people together and can help generate fond memories for our residents,” he said.
“I like to get to know all of the residents that I cook for, so I can make each meal special. If I learn that a particular meal can help bring back a memory for a resident, I’ll do my best to make it for them.”
Chris said he spent the early part of his career as a desserts chef, which goes down well with the residents at Bupa.
“I know how much our residents enjoy a sweet treat,” he said.
“It’s a great feeling seeing the residents enjoy a fresh, warm scone and a cup of tea; it’s a simple pleasure.
“Being able to try to provide residents with dishes from their own cultural background is a fantastic thing, too.”
Chris is also part of Bupa Aged Care’s national Chef’s Committee which reviews and continually improves the food that is made in Bupa care homes by its in-house chefs and hospitality team.
“With my current role in the Chef’s Committee, I get to visit many different aged care homes and travel around a bit,” he said.
“It’s great to see how different Bupa homes across Australia provide nutritious and delicious meals for their residents; it gives me lots of ideas of how to continually improve the places I work, and my own practices as a chef manager.”
The ACHA, now in their fifth year, recognise and reward outstanding employees, initiatives and care homes.
