Accomplished chef is a ‘happy apprentice’ when it comes to improving residents’ food and nutrition
Darren Ho used to work in fine dining at 5-star hotels but wanted to move to a role where he ‘could do good’. He found this as the chef manager at BaptistCare Orana’s aged care home in January 2024.
From the outset, Darren put his focus on the food, specifically, flavour. ‘When I first got here, I asked the kitchen team, “Do you know how to taste food?” And we set about making some changes.’
Darren focussed on using the 5 tastes – salt and sweet and sour and bitter and umami – to deliver mouth-watering food. His kitchen team soon noticed the difference, and so did the residents.
Shortly after, BaptistCare Orana was accepted into the Maggie Beer Foundation’s Trainer Mentor Program. The program pairs staff with a qualified chef trainer to improve residents’ food, nutrition and dining experience. The training also helps aged care homes prepare to meet a new dedicated food and nutrition Quality Standard under the new Aged Care Act. Under the standard, providers will need to work with residents to find out what they like to eat and drink, and offer appetising and flavoursome choices.
Darren manages 3 chefs and 3 cooks who don’t have formal training.
‘We can all learn something. But the cooks in aged care kitchens benefit enormously from the training,’ says Darren.
‘I’ve been so happy with the training. It gives you validation for what you’re doing well and shows where things can be improved.’
At BaptistCare Orana, all menus are assessed and approved by dietitians for nutritional value. The chefs also have some free play, so they can tailor menus to their residents’ preferences.
The Maggie Beer Foundation’s chef trainer helped the kitchen team maximise the nutrition and protein of each meal and rethink some cooking techniques.
‘Things like using protein fortified milk when we make vegetable sauce or cooking meat overnight to make it tender. I used to do that years ago. But I get so immersed in the work here that it took that fresh perspective to bring that idea back to me,’ says Darren.
The Maggie Beer Foundation training has also had a big impact on the dining experience.
‘The training not only lifts the standard of food, it locks it all in with the lifestyle staff, the servers and the carers,’ says Darren. ‘It was about more than just the food.’
The leadership team worked together to encourage residents to eat in the dining room, not alone in their rooms. For example, to celebrate National Italian Day in June, Darren demonstrated making fresh fettuccine for the residents. They enjoyed it for lunch together, with their choice of sauce.
The Maggie Beer Foundation’s chef trainer also helped improve the way food is plated.
‘She worked with our servers on separating foods of different colours on the plate, like potato, pumpkin and the protein, so it looks more appetising,’ says Darren.
Each resident chooses from the same menu options and gets a well-presented meal to encourage their appetite, even if they require texture modified food.
‘Today we have chicken Mexican, and everyone can have it because we provide texture modified versions of whatever is on the menu,’ says Darren.
‘Twenty odd years ago I did some work for an aged care home that would just blend food cooked on the previous day and scoop it out. It was disgusting,’ says Darren.
BaptistCare Orana’s team make the texture modified meal visually enticing by shaping the food into an appealing format.
‘We use piping bags for texture modified food so we can present appetising meals with separated colours. People can see what they are eating.’
Inspired by the Maggie Beer Foundation’s training, BaptistCare Orana’s team also re-established their garden to support a direct connection to fresh food.
‘We involved the residents when we planted the edible garden,’ says Darren. ‘Our policy is to use whatever we pick on the same day.
‘The entire team at Orana has been working hard to improve the quality of food and dining experience of our residents.’
Darren’s attitude to life-long learning sets an example that helps the whole organisation gain maximum benefit from the training.
‘I’m 64 years old and I still consider myself an apprentice. The day I stop learning will be the day I retire,’ says Darren.
Darren is also keen to share his knowledge with other aged care chefs in the Hunter Region, and encourages all aged care chefs and cooks to apply to the Maggie Beer Foundation training.
‘We all want to lift standards in aged care dining, right across the board,’ says Darren.
‘My role is I lift the standards and make food people are happy to eat. People say I made a big difference. You really get chuffed about that.’
Darren manages 3 chefs and 3 cooks who don’t have formal training.
‘We can all learn something. But the cooks in aged care kitchens benefit enormously from the training,’ says Darren.
‘I’ve been so happy with the training. It gives you validation for what you’re doing well, and shows where things can be improved.’
At BaptistCare, all menus are assessed and approved by dietitians for nutritional value. The chefs also have some free-play, so they can tailor menus to their residents’ preferences.
The Maggie Beer Foundation’s chef trainer helped the kitchen team maximise the nutrition and protein of each meal and rethink some cooking techniques.
‘Things like using protein fortified milk when we make vegetable sauce, or cooking meat overnight to make it tender. I used to do that years ago. But I get so immersed in the work here that it took that fresh perspective to bring that idea back to me,’ says Darren.
The Maggie Beer Foundation training has also had a big impact on the dining experience.
‘The training not only lifts the standard of food, it locks it all in with the lifestyle staff, the servers, and the carers,’ says Darren. ‘It was about more than just the food.’
The lifestyle team and Darren worked to encourage residents to eat in the dining room, not alone in their rooms. For example, to celebrate National Italian Day in June, Darren demonstrated making fresh fettuccine for the residents. They enjoyed it for lunch together, with their choice of sauce.
The Maggie Beer Foundation’s chef trainer also helped improve the way food is plated.
‘She worked with our servers on separating foods of different colours on the plate, like potato, pumpkin and the protein, so it looks more appetising,’ says Darren.
Each resident chooses from the same menu options and gets a well-presented meal to encourage their appetite, even if they require texture modified food.
‘Today we have chicken Mexican, and everyone can have it because we provide texture modified versions of whatever is on the menu,’ says Darren.
‘Twenty odd years ago I did some work for an aged care home that would just blend food cooked on the previous day, and scoop it out. It was disgusting,’ says Darren.
BaptistCare Orana’s team make the texture modified meal visually enticing by shaping the food into an appealing format.
‘We use piping bags for texture modified food so we can present appetising meals with separated colours. People can see what they are eating.’
Inspired by the Maggie Beer Foundation’s training, BaptistCare Orana’s team also re-established their neglected garden to support a direct connection to fresh food.
‘We involved the residents when we planted the edible garden,’ says Darren. ‘Our policy is to use whatever we pick on the same day.’
Darren’s attitude to life-long learning sets an example that helps the whole organisation gain maximum benefit from the training.
‘I’m 64 years old, and I still consider myself an apprentice. The day I stop learning will be the day I retire,’ says Darren.
Darren is also keen to share his knowledge with other aged care chefs in the Hunter Region and encourages all aged care chefs and cooks to apply to the Maggie Beer Foundation training.
‘We all want to lift standards in aged care dining, right across the board,’ says Darren.
‘My role is I lift the standards and make food people are happy to eat. People say I made a big difference. You really get chuffed about that.’
Get help with food and nutrition in aged care
Check our information for:
- residential aged care providers and workers
- people considering aged care
- aged care residents and families.
