Date: 24 July 2018

Whiddon’s industry-leading approach to excellence in catering and hotel services has proven to be a recipe for success with four team members and one Whiddon aged care home announced as National Finalists in the 2018 Aged Care Hospitality Awards.

2018 is the sixth year running where Whiddon has progressed to the national finals for these awards and we are immensely proud of our individual team members and teams for their incredible work across catering and food, and hotel services. These teams and team members now progress to the national awards event in Melbourne in September, where the overall winners for each category will be announced – good luck Team Whiddon!

Whiddon’s finalists for the national aged care hospitality awards are:

  • Karen Snedden – Whiddon Redhead – Chef/Cook of the Year
  • Jason Watterson – Whiddon Maclean – Chef Manager of the Year
  • Whiddon Easton Park – Facility Catering Service of the Year
  • Hari Thapa – Whiddon Easton Park – Laundry Services Individual of the Year
  • Debbie Collins – Whiddon Easton Park – Facility Cleaner of the Year

 

 

 

 

Meet our Finalists for the Aged Care Hospitality Awards

Karen Sneddon – Chef/Cook of the Year

Karen has been working at Whiddon Redhead for four and a half years, and in that time, has demonstrated exceptional skills in her chosen field, a passion for aged care and a kind and caring approach. Karen has a drive for continuous improvement and is quick to develop creative ways for the team to do achieve exciting new things and improved outcomes. She’s a talented cook and her industry knowledge is admired by her colleagues. She puts her heart into all she does and this is reflected in her work and high quality of food presentation.

She fills the kitchen with happiness and love. She knows what is important to each residents and goes above and beyond in all that she does, so they can enjoy the things that they love most. Karen has really turned things around in the kitchen and the results have been impressive. Her work has had a measurable effect – there has been a decreased use of dietary supplements which speaks volumes to the high quality standards of her work, and drive to achieve the very best for our residents.

 

Jason Watterson – Chef Manager of the Year

Jason joined the Whiddon Maclean team as the Chef Manager in 2017, bringing a wealth of knowledge of the catering industry and great passion for aged care. Jason leads the aged care home’s catering team to provide exceptional food services to its 60 residents.

Jason’s exceptional skills and knowledge in his chosen industry have led to him being seen as a leader within Whiddon and he is often approached by other homes to provide guidance and support when needed. Recently when Whiddon acquired a new home in Queensland, Jason hosted their Chef at Whiddon Maclean to mentor them and train them in Whiddon’s processes and procedures. Food safety is another area that Jason is highly skilled in and is often approached by Whiddon management to step in as the group food safety advisor.

Jason has embraced our MyLife model of care, which is centered around relationship-based care, and really knows our residents as individuals and understands what’s important to each person. He encourages his team to also have this approach and the team’s success is built around having resident’s preferences and needs at the very heart of what they deliver.

 

Whiddon Easton Park – Catering Facility of the Year

Whiddon’s Easton Park aged care village in Glenfield in Sydney’s south-west is home to 555 residents. The kitchen is an incredibly busy environment and has an enthusiastic team of chefs and catering staff. Although it’s a fast-paced environment, the team place a strong focus on individualised needs and preferences, in line with our model of care, My Life. Led by Head Chef Alex, the team are driven to create impact through incredible food and dining experiences.

Residents benefit from individualised meals to suit their background, requirements and preferences. Team member and ‘Special Meals Chef’, Rosa has a role that’s dedicated to producing these meals and involves the residents and families. As a result, we’ve seen many residents eating better and enjoying their dining experience. This year, Rosa created a herb garden with a huge range of herbs to cater for many different cuisines, the kitchen no longer needs to purchase herbs, they simply pick fresh herbs they need.

Recently, a resident wanted to see chickpea and dahl curry. The team sprang into action, tested it out with residents, and it’s now on the menu. The team love to create trending dishes and ones that residents might see on TV, and our residents love to test them out. Another dish that is now a popular menu item is a German sausage and veal dish, inspired by another resident’s favourite food.

One of the team’s initiatives was inspired by Whiddon’s Best Week program, and underpinned by our model of care. The catering team has embraced MyLife and have created some amazing experiences using food as a platform for Best Week, to the sheer delight and amazement of residents. The team came up with a dream of bringing a pop-up seafood restaurant to life for their seafood-loving residents. They wanted to amaze and surprise these residents, keeping most of the details a secret until the big ‘reveal’! They planned an incredible feast with hot and cold seafood, lobster, scallops and prawns, salads and all the trimmings of a fine dining experience – even a well-paired glass of vino. As residents entered the restaurant, they were speechless, everything looked amazing and the presentation of the food was impeccable.

 

Debbie Collins – Facility Cleaner of the Year

Debbie has been at Whiddon Easton Park in Glenfield in Sydney’s south-west for six years and in that time, has made an incredible contribution to the hospitality services team. She is a valued employee who through her role as a cleaner, is making a difference to the lives of our residents every day.

Debbie demonstrates great passion in all she does and goes above and beyond in her role. Residents light up when they see Debbie. They know their room will be fresh, clean and smell amazing as she puts her heart into her job. She’s talented and has an exceptional eye for detail. They also know that she truly cares about how they are feeling and they enjoy her cheery outlook.

Debbie knows that it is sometimes the little things that can make a big difference. From placing fresh flowers in rooms, keeping precious ornaments and photos dust-free and sparkling, to making sure that everything is in place just how each resident likes it, she knows what matters most to each of the residents she cares for.

 

Hari Thapa – Laundry Services Individual of the Year

Hari has been a member of the hospitality team for 2 years and in that time has demonstrated an incredible commitment to his role. Hari brings incredible energy to his role and our workplace and truly is a breath of fresh air. He motivates others around him through his proactive and positive approach to his role.

He goes the extra mile in all he does and dedicates time to continue to learn and grow his skills. He has a thirst for knowledge and to understand as much as he can about his role and our organisation. He truly understands and lives the purpose of our organisation and leads by example, always living our internal values of The Whiddon Way.

Hari is a qualified chef and also works in the catering team. He loves all aspects of hospitality in aged care and is highly skilled in his field, so he works between the two areas. He is incredibly dedicated to the industry and has great passion for aged care. He began working in laundry services when the laundry team needed assistance. In true Hari style, he happy to help out and gained a thirst to learn all aspects of the laundry. He has incredible organisation and time management skills and a strong focus on continually learning and developing best practices.