An update from our new Chef

02/08/2022

We were delighted when Jo joined our team earlier in the year, so we thought it would be great for our readers to hear how she is settling in and what she does.

“I’ve been working for St Pauls for almost 3 months, and I’ve settled in nicely. The staff have been extremely welcoming and supportive. Individually, they have all been helpful and accommodating making me feel I am part of a friendly team. I’ve been given the opportunity to increase me knowledge around Drug & Alcohol abuse, which will me to fulfil my role to the best of my ability. I am looking forward to attending several courses in the coming months.

I find many similarities in the type of food and the way it is presented at St Pauls to when I was in the Air Force. The food was always cooked fresh using local ingredients, there’s lots of variety and you could choose what to cook that day meaning there’s no set menu which I find exciting.

I think it’s important for our residents to have an impact on the meals we cook because this is their home so I sent out request forms to the residents so they could notify their favourite dishes. We had great ideas coming back for theme nights too which have been implemented. The Chinese theme night was successful as well as our Jubilee BBQ in our garden. Next up we have an Indian night to look forward to.

I have a great team or residents and former residents that work with me in the kitchen. They bring a huge amount of strengths and abilities creating one big incredible team. Each and every one of them give their all every day to which I’m exceptionally lucky and proud to work with.

Now that I’ve settled into my role of Chef and Catering manager, I’m currently setting up a training program for two of my kitchen staff that are interested in becoming chefs. The training will be tailor made for each individuals learning techniques, skills, and abilities. This will include one to one training on a daily basis with myself where they can learn recipes and cooking methods. We will provide support with courses such and basic food hygiene which is also available. I hope in time, residents will benefit from our programs and go forward from St Pauls with the knowledge and experience to secure the job in catering that they’ve always wanted.”