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The heart of any home is the kitchen

4 August 2021

Just ask James – or ‘Jimmy’ as he’s known – a resident at Southern Cross Care Queensland’s Illoura Village in Chinchilla – and frequent volunteer in the kitchen, under the expert wing of professional Chefs Shibam (pictured with Jimmy) and Kiran, of course.

From the age of 13, with both parents out working, it was Jimmy’s job to stoke up the wood-fired stove, peel the spuds and get them on to boil. These days nothing gives him more pleasure than spending time when he can in the somewhat more sophisticated community kitchen at Illoura Village, indulging his passion for learning new recipes.

It’s a dream come true for Jimmy, a hobby chef and former sawmill operator.

Talented and highly qualified chef Kiran, loves to coach Jimmy and draws on a wealth of experience in popular restaurants, including as former Head Chef at Stafford City Tavern.

Like Jimmy, Kiran’s passion for the culinary arts started when he was just a child – growing up in Nepal where the delicious smells and tastes from his mother’s kitchen beckoned.

My desire to become a chef in Aged Care is fuelled by the fact that every day we get to create a different meal for the residents and it allows for our creativity to be endless-  which you cannot gain working in a restaurant with set menus that very rarely change month to month let alone day to day like here”.

The smiles we get to see when we provide our residents with a delicious meal that is also plated to excite their senses brings smiles to our team as well,” Kiran said.

With Aged Care Employee Day just around the corner on 7 August, acknowledging the care and support provided by more than 365,000 employees across the country who provide 24 / 7 care to over 1.3 million older people – it’s hard to go past the contribution this highly qualified and caring chef brings to the table.

#ThanksForCaring Kiran!

Do you have a message of thanks you’d like to share for Aged Care Employee Day?  Post it on the SCCQ Facebook page or your preferred social channels using the hashtags –

#ThanksForCaring #EveryPersonMatters #SCCQ