specialty focus
Stephan Blant ( right ) says he wants to cook to make a difference in people ’ s lives . Picture : Supplied .
Nailing the nutrition
Focusing on quality food for older Australians .
By Eleanor Campbell
After serving dishes in exclusive resorts and fine dining restaurants , French chef Stephan Blant said that working in residential aged care has offered a different type of reward .
“ It ’ s life changing ,” he told Aged Care Insite .
“ Unlike in a hotel , where you only see people for two nights , here you have more contact with the customers . They are here for months so you can talk with them and get to know them properly .”
Stephan is the catering manager for Peninsula Villages , a local residential facility on Sydney ’ s central coast , where he manages food service for over 300 people each day .
Alongside cooking his traditional Mediterranean and French dishes , Stephan said that he and his staff make a point to incorporate meals that residents say they wish to eat .
“ Some of our clients come from different aged care places where they don ’ t have a lot of choices ,” he said .
“ Since I started , I ’ ve tried to focus on customer service , and I ’ ve explained to my staff that if someone asks for something and we can do it , we do it .”
20 agedcareinsite . com . au
After training in Switzerland , the third generation chef travelled to Australia 10 years ago without speaking a word of English .
Stephan then travelled around the country , catering for a restaurant on Sydney ’ s harbourside , before moving to two exclusive hotels on the Whitsundays .
It wasn ’ t until he relocated to his wife ’ s hometown on the central coast that he discovered his passion for cooking for the vulnerable .
Landing a job as a chef for one of the largest providers in the country , he found that the quality of food offered was poor and inconsistent . “ I was really shocked ,” he said . “ If you don ’ t have good skills , then you can ’ t produce a good meal for someone for under $ 9 a day .”
Stephan moved on to Peninsula three years ago and found that because they spent more money on food , he was freer to base his menus on residents ’ choices , rather than on budget .
With his European heritage , his signature plates include boeuf bourguignon , Italian roasted vegetables , and chicken cordon bleu .
“ When you go to the sit-in dining room , and the residents are happy and they have a smile on their face , it ’ s rewarding ,” he said .
“ Some of them don ’ t have families , so the time they spend with us is where we make a difference with them .”
Nutrition has been under a spotlight as aged care providers prepare to submit their first round of food reports under the new rules of the royal commission .
Homes must submit quarterly details about the types of meals that residents are eating , total food intake , and spending on ingredients .
Stephan said that he supported the new regulations but was concerned about the accuracy of measuring how much food is eaten per day .
“ The reporting is very difficult , especially knowing where they are going with it in the future ,” he said .
“ I think it ’ s good for people doing the wrong thing , but for people doing the right thing , it ’ s really time consuming .”
The requirements are part of the federal government ’ s 2021 Basic Daily Feed subsidy , which will allocate providers an additional $ 10 per resident for daily meals . Ninety-nine per cent of the nation ’ s providers have applied for the initiative .
Dr Judi Porter , a professor of dietetics at Deakin University , said the requirements were a step forward for creating a level of acceptable food quality in the sector .
“ If we actually had national standards , then we would have a chance of people needing to deliver at least to a minimum level of care , but we don ’ t have those ,” she said .