Local aged care organisation, Peninsula Villages, is celebrating the work of one of its staff who is set to bring a touch of the Mediterranean to the village for its residents.
French chef, Stephan Blant, who is the catering manager at the Villages is a third-generation chef who trained with his father in Switzerland, before moving to Australia 10 years ago.
Despite speaking no English when he arrived, Blant landed a role working as a Chef de Partie at a popular tourist restaurant in Darling Harbour where he honed his cooking skills and practiced his English.
After working across the country, including in exclusive hotels in Hayman Island and Daydream Island, he relocated to his wife’s hometown of Umina to start their family.
“We returned to the Coast, and I got my first job as a Chef with the Salvation Army at a local rehabilitation centre,” Blant said.
“It was there that I discovered how rewarding it was to work with vulnerable people.
“Later on, I decided to move across into working with aged care residents and was fortunate enough to get the job at Peninsula Villages.”
He said he loves to combine his French heritage and fine dining background to his work and feature the most important aspect of any French meal … a good bottle of wine.
“My first instinct in the kitchen is to go to my comfort zone, with French and Mediterranean cuisine,” he said.
“We like to make sure there is plenty of choice for residents, so alongside traditional meals, I try to incorporate foods that I love.”
“We organise wine tastings – as I don’t drink wine, we gather the residents together to sample various wines and then together, we decide what wines we’ll serve that season with their meals.
“We also make sure there is Muscat and Champagne for special occasions.”
Despite leaving the glamour of fine dining restaurants behind him, Blant said he has not looked back since starting his work with older people.
“The quality of food matters at every stage of life and I like to make people happy with my food,” he said.
“What they eat every day makes a real difference to older peoples’ lives.
“I like to think that by creating dishes I am proud of, it shows them just how much I care.”
Source:
Media release, Sep 27
Peninsula Villages