Sunil kindly shared his food journey from Restaurants to Aged care kitchens and why he loves it.
For the past 8 years Sunil Waghela has worked as a chef at Sisters of St John of God Aged Care home in West Leederville. Sunil has always had a passion for working within the hospitality industry. After successfully attaining his Advanced Diploma in Hospitality, Sunil honed his skills working in a number of different restaurants and kitchens around Perth before joining Sisters of St John of God Aged Care home in West Leederville in 2010 as a cook. After five years of working in the kitchen, Sunil was promoted to Chef Manager. In his role of Chef Manager, Sunil is responsible for the planning of menus, ordering fresh produce, shopping for the Sisters and planning for special occasions and events, such as Golden Jubilees, Easter and Christmas celebrations and Saint John of God Foundation Day. He displays a passion and enjoyment for not only cooking for the Sisters but for also establishing and maintaining positive relationships with them. Sunil knows and has the greatest respect for all 60 Sisters who live in these Private homes and he enjoys taking the time to have a chat and share stories about food and life with them. He particularly enjoys opportunities to carve the meat during special occasions and functions as it allows him to see the Sisters enjoying the food which he has lovingly prepared and cooked for them. Sunil thinks of the Sisters as his family and they have shared in important milestones in his life, such as the birth of his daughter Ashwariya, who they warmly welcome to staff parties and Christmas events.
Daily, Sunil and his two chef assistants use fresh produce to prepare and provide a variety of healthy, nutritious and delicious meals which meet the needs and dietary requirements of all Sisters who reside on the property. The menu follows a three-week rotational cycle which includes four meats, three vegetables, two types of potatoes, fresh fruits as well as a number of house made desserts. Sunil and his team are responsible for providing up to four meals a day, which includes breakfast, morning tea, lunch and dinner. The Sisters begin their day with a hot option which consists of semolina or porridge as well as a cereal station including the Sisters favourites of Sultana Bran, All bran, Rice Bubbles and Special K. A variety of seasonal and fresh fruits are always provided throughout the day. Every day consists of a different morning tea where house made delicacies are enjoyed by the Sisters and include items such as scones, pancakes, muffins, friands, lamingtons as well as different varieties of cakes and healthy and hearty soups. Lunch always includes four different types of meat where staple items such as fish and lamb chops are served daily alongside of three seasonal fresh vegetables, two different types of potatoes (boiled and mashed), sauces as well as a salad station. Dessert is always jelly, ice-cream, fresh fruit and house made treats such as sticky date puddings and yummy apple pies. The chefs stagger their shift times in order to ensure that there is always one person on site to cook the fresh and light evening meals of bacon and eggs, frittata, chicken stir fry, fried rice, homemade pizzas, cold meat platters and many more.
Sunil is a passionate, dedicated and professional Chef who possesses high expectations and a passion for producing great food and he looks forwards to working for the Sisters for many years to come.