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Being a mature-aged student wasn’t a concern for me. I had previously completed short courses at other Le Cordon Bleu campuses during my expat years in New Zealand and Canada and in fact, was surrounded by peers of all ages also looking to achieve formal training in the French and modern European cooking techniques. I knew studying at the world’s oldest culinary institution would allow me to incorporate the history, philosophy, professionalism and discipline embedded in their teaching and inject this into aged care food.

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After a successful career in healthcare, working with specialised medical foods and other aspects of healthcare at a corporate management level, I’d seen enough behind the scenes to know that change is overdue in the aged care food industry.

To understand the issues plaguing the industry you just need to read the news. Under-funding food services is one of the main issues that directly affects the quality, efficacy and overall enjoyment of the food and nutrition that is so vital for aged care residents.

To say I was concerned about the meals being presented to our aged community in the latter stages of their life is an understatement. This concern was one of the inspirations behind my career change, fuelled by a desire to get involved and make a difference.

I resigned from my job and applied to an institution that I knew would provide the perfect foundation for my career change; the iconic cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu. I applied as part of the first intake of students at the Brisbane campus when it launched at South Bank TAFE in July 2018. Read more