KIDS AND KITCHENS MIX WELL
DAY shifts, running your own kitchen and teaching children about food are some of the benefits of working as a cook in this sector – but workers may need to accept a temper tantrum or two from their customers, and perhaps a few fussy eaters.
Childcare centres need cooks to create three meals a day to feed their clients aged five years and younger.
Latest Federal Government estimates show more than 1600 additional childcare centres will be needed nationally by 2020, providing opportunities for at least one cook at each centre.
Guardian Early Learning Group chef mentor Benita Lukacs says the role is suited to hospitality workers looking for a move away from their traditional work environment.
But it also is a career option for those with basic food handling skills who want to progress in a cookery career.
She worked as a caterer for more than 20 years when she decided to make a career change obtaining a Diploma of Early Childhood Education before applying for jobs.
But when her prospective employer saw her resume, they suggested she would make a great childcare chef.
“I was just a good fit and I was extremely excited and passionate about the possibility of cooking for children,” she says. “It was something different for me, but combining two things I love the most – children and food.”
She says there is more to the job than cutting up carrots, as cooks need to understand nutrition, food safety, and issues such as allergens.
They also must learn to cook in quantities to feed more than a hundred children.
“They need to know what the current guidelines are, such as what serving portion sizes are, and making sure ... they understand what good foods are and what aren’t,” she says.
Lukacs mentors the cooks employed at the group’s 42 centres across Melbourne.