The excitement rose faster than a soufflé as Uniting AgeWell chefs sliced, diced and stirred their way through a unique cook-off recently.

Despite a few jitters, the chefs thoroughly enjoyed the pressure-cooker competition designed to inspire teamwork and collaboration with the aim of boosting the overall dining experience for residents in aged care.

But while the recipes were new, this exciting MasterChef-style competition in Port Melbourne remains a firm favourite on the menu.

It’s a continuation of the Masterclass program from 2017 with celebrity chef George Calombaris as part of training days to keep chefs up to date with the best produce, equipment and cooking skills available. The first cooking competition was held in Victoria in 2018. It was then put in the deep freezer during the pandemic – but is back now, bigger and better than ever before.

The initiative, which saw Uniting AgeWell win an Aged Care State Awards (ACSA) award for innovation and commitment to improvement, is always wildly popular.

This time around 20 chefs from our residential sites across Victoria and Tasmania, as well as 10 Hotel Services Coordinators competed, working in five teams of up to five participants.

Each team received an envelope bearing the name of two proteins. They then had 15 minutes to plan what they’d cook and 10 minutes to shop. The same applied to the dessert.

Each team worked in relays, with 90 minutes to prepare the dishes which included them divvying up the tasks of preparing and cooking the meals, the all-important plating-up and presenting to the judges.

The atmosphere could best be described as “sizzling” as the buzzer sounded and they moved like well-oiled machines at the event at Comcater (Commercial Kitchen Equipment and Catering Supplies) which is also one of the sponsors of the cook-off.

With the clock ticking the tension mounted – and soon it was time to present the dishes to the judges.

Margarita Gorgievska Hotel Services Coordinator (Preston and Kingsville) said, “I’m excited, nervous and relieved. This has been a good experience. Working under pressure and out of my comfort zone. It’s been great to get to know everyone, especially those from Tasmania. I will definitely do it again.”

The six judges were CEO Andrew Kinnersly, Board Chair Raelene Thompson, General Manager – Victoria Vicki Jaques, General Manager – Tasmania Jane Johnson, and Customer Advisory Body representatives Jennene Arnel and Andrew Blackstock.

They were hard-pressed to choose the winners in each category, as the dishes were all of such a high standard. But they all agreed that the proof is in the pudding – or the mains – with the overall winners the aged care residents!

And the competitors too, as one of the judges, Jennene, pointed out. “Today has shown me how committed Uniting AgeWell is to their staff by providing so many opportunities like this.”

Janette Anderson, Hotel Services Director, Victoria, says the camaraderie and teamwork made the day so special. “There was so much excitement and pride, team members were hugging each other and thoroughly enjoying the theatre of the whole experience.”

There are long-lasting results long after the judges had totalled up their scores. The obvious benefit to the residents – but also a unique learning experience which will, in culinary terms, enrich and embolden cooking practices and skills across all our sites.

Here are the winners of the competition:

The overall winner of the Master Class Team Award – Pink Team comprising Billy Mather (Chef, Supervisor Box Hill Community); Chris Redmond (Hotel Services Coordinator, Strath-Haven Bendigo), Angela Cui, (Chef Supervisor, Kalkee Murray); Rickey Awale (Chef Supervisor Strathglen). Congratulations to this team who achieved the highest overall score across the four award categories. Each member of the team received prizes and a certificate.

Billy, on behalf of the Pink Team, says “It was a wonderful experience I would recommend to all chefs! I was nervous at first, but the adrenalin was soon going, right up to the time we plated the dishes. It was also great to speak to chefs from other sites, a wonderful opportunity for us all to share stories and ideas. Also a huge shout-out to the Hotel Services Team for organising this!”

Signature Dish Award – Pink Team

Congratulations to the team for creating main courses excelling in taste, presentation, recipe design, and degree of difficulty. One of the two dishes will feature on menus across our residential homes. They are Thai Style Chicken (coriander, fish sauce, oyster sauce, capsicum, chili, lime juice) with coconut rice (coconut milk). The second dish is a rack of lamb with red wine reduction, mashed potato and medley of veg (broccoli, beans, zucchini & leek).

Sweet Excellence Award – Red Team for their winning lemon curd tart that offered a memorable and indulgent experience. Congratulations to Henry Melo (Chef Supervisor, Condare Court); Ray Hiskins (Hotel Services Coordinator Condare Court and Strathdon); Pana Kapsalis, (Chef Supervisor, Preston); Chitesh Raulkar (Chef Supervisor Andrew Kerr Care); Kate Brown (Hotel Services Coordinator Kings Meadows and Strathdevon).

Hydration Innovation Award – Orange Team for their delightful drink comprising black tea, passionfruit pulp, lemon juice, mint leaves and lemonade. Congratulations to Andrew Larter (Chef Supervisor, Strathaven) Michelle Swaffield (Hotel Services Coordinator Box Hill and Hawthorn); Melissa Woods (Chef, Strathdevon); Gloria Gutierrez (Chef Supervisor, Kingsville) and Sam Akhter (Chef Supervisor, Strathdon).

Teamwork Excellence Award – Pink Team. Congratulations to this team for excelling in communication, collaboration, and maintains a clean, organized workstation.