A Broulee 18-year-old has no plans for a boozy session this weekend, but there will be plenty of Beer – and that’s good for the elderly people he nourishes.
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An inspiring career lies ahead for Angus White after the commercial cookery apprentice won a Maggie Beer Scholarship in the “Creating an Appetite for Life” program.
Mr White cooks at Banksia Lodge, Broulee, and will travel to Ms Beer’s Barossa Valley home this weekend to participate in her foundation’s pioneering program.
The scholarship teaches cooking for aged care and Mrs Beer wants “to improve the health, happiness and quality of life for every older Australian”.
Mr White said he became interested in nutrition as a childhood athlete.
“I started working at Banksia Lodge and I realised I wanted to pursue a career as a chef,” he said.
“I didn’t want to leave Banksia, so I just asked whether I could do my commercial cookery apprenticeship with them.
“I just love older people. They have so many stories and they’re full of knowledge.
“I love all the residents. I don’t think I’d want to work in a normal kitchen. You learn so much more doing this, not only food but life as well.”
Mr White is excited about the scholarship program.
“To meet Maggie will be awesome. I’d like to learn more about making things look nice on the plate.”
Mr White became a first-year apprentice at TAFE NSW Moruya this year.
“It’s the best day of the week,” he said.
“You cook every session. It’s the best thing for me because I’m a hands-on learner.”
Open to only 30 cooks and chefs Australia-wide, the scholarship teaches about nutritious ingredients, budgets, supplier relationships, aged-care-specific recipes, menus and dining-room management.
Mr White said his teacher Jane Garland idolised Mrs Beer.
“She told me I had to apply for it,” he said.
“When I rang Jane to tell her I’d got it, she was screaming down the phone.
"I just love older people"
- Angus White
“We work with a nutritionist here who specialises in ageing, but it’s not just about nutrition,” Mr White said.
“Sometimes I’ll create a meal and all of the residents love it, except for the five with dementia. Other times I’ll make a meal and nobody will touch it but those five, and they love it. It’s really interesting, the way the brain reacts to colours and textures on the plate, the psychology of food. I’m fascinated to learn more.”