The City of Casey yesterday joined 19 other Victorian Councils in launching the brand new, state-of-the-art $24 million local government kitchen which, from December 2010, will supply Meals on Wheels for City of Casey residents.

Community Chef is a collaborative project between all levels of government to ensure Meals on Wheels offers residents a wide choice of high quality, nutritious and diverse meals that also meet a variety of special dietary requirements.

City of Casey Mayor Cr Lorraine Wreford said it was extremely exciting to see the Community Chef project come to fruition after more than five years in the making.

‘Council is extremely pleased to be a shareholder in this leading-edge model of service provision which will ensure that Casey’s Meals on Wheels recipients receive quality food that meets a variety of dietary requirements and provide high nutritional value’, said Cr Wreford.

‘A dietician will oversee the menu development and qualified chefs will prepare meals which will include options from a range of different cultures including Asian, Mediterranean, Kosher and Halal.

‘Meals on Wheels is a vital service in the City of Casey. In fact, Council delivers more than 30,000 meals each year to help ensure that our frail aged and disabled residents can continue living independently in their own homes and be part of their community’, added Cr Wreford.

The Federal Government’s Minister for Health and Ageing, The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP, and the State Government’s Minister for Mental Health, Community Services and Senior Victorians, The Hon. Lisa Neville MP launched the Community Chef kitchen located in Altona.

Renowned chef, Gabriel Gaté, is the Community Chef Patron who provided advice on meal choice and menu.

The Community Chef kitchen uses the latest technology and techniques, and its design has won international awards and has been rated by the French food services magazine, Neo-Resterauration, as one of the five most important innovations in the kitchen alongside the microwave, ultrasonic washer, induction cooking and disposable packaging.

City of Casey Manager Community Care, Jo Smale, said ‘Community Chef is a fantastic initiative that will allow Casey’s Meals on Wheels service to be good value for money, more responsive and enable meals to be delivered with flexibility to meet individual requirements.

‘The meals will be packaged in environmentally-friendly packaging using recyclable containers that are easy to use and also microwaveable.

‘Recipients of Council’s Meals on Wheels service will be provided with a menu to make meal selections and be able to pay in the usual way’, added Ms Smale.

For more information contact City of Casey Customer Service on 9705 5200.

The Nestlé GOLDEN CHEF’S HAT AWARD is the only national chef competition dedicated to the development of apprentice and junior chefs that tests culinary cooking skills at a regional level, right through to the ultimate test; a national finals cook - off. 

This year, the two young chefs named the National Winners will receive a career changing, international travel experience prize trip, worth $15,000, to further their culinary advancement.

At the national cook-offs, to be held in Melbourne this September, all finalists have the opportunity to win medals for achievement to recognised standards in entrée, main and dessert course categories.

The Nestlé GOLDEN CHEF’S HAT AWARD is the longest running chef’s competition in Australia with the first event held in 1966. It has been solely sponsored by Nestlé since 1986 and is Australia’s only national junior culinary competition.