The responsibility of taking care of our elderly is something which is not taken lightly at the Sydney’s Greek Community Home for the Aged, and high-quality food is among the many areas they strive to make life as comfortable for its residents as possible.
The Greek Community Home in Earlwood has worked hard to cultivate a strong reputation for providing good-quality meals.
This was further consolidated in the latest annual nationwide survey conducted by an independent team on behalf of the federal government on resident’s food satisfaction, with the Earlwood Home ranking 21st in Australia.
The man leading the kitchen staff is chef Panagiotis Giannakopoulos, who remarked that he and his fellow team members all work to prepare the best meals possible.
“All the residents choose what they want from the menu, and we strive to give everyone the best. For example, one might ask for fried eggs for breakfast, another might ask for halloumi and so on. Whatever they ask for, we make,” Mr Giannakopoulos told Neos Kosmos.
The 32-year-old chef, who has worked at the home for four and a half years now, stressed that they make it their duty to “cater to all the orders of our residents”.
Mr Giannakopoulos, who migrated to Australia in 2017 and has worked in kitchens since he was 21 years old, shed light on the daily schedule which requires a great deal of planning and coordination in addition to labour.
“The first thing I do when I arrive at work is make sure everything is working in the kitchen. Before every meal, I ask the residents what they want to eat from the menu we have prepared and if they want to add in something extra,” the chef said.
“After that, I begin the meal preparations. Following every service, I go past the residents to see if they were satisfied and happy with what they ate…They have been very happy with the food which brings me a lot of joy.”
Among some of the favourite dishes of the residents he mentioned were λαχανοντολμάδες, αυγολέμονο, γεμιστά, μουσσακά, prawns and saganaki, showcasing the focus on producing good-quality Greek cuisine for the mostly Greek residents.
He explained that he devises the menu to fit with the relevant season of the year and works with a dietitian to design a balanced and healthy menu that includes all aspects of the food pyramid.
“The main priorities of our kitchen is that it is clean, the food is of the highest quality and that at the end of the day, the residents are satisfied with what we make,” the chef said.
Mr Giannakopoulos opened up on how working in a kitchen is very demanding, requiring your undivided attention in order to get everything cooked and ready in time at the absolute highest level possible.
“You have to give 100 per cent in this type of job,” he said.
“It is important to have a passion for it, to want to help others and to have a strong team that supports you in the kitchen. This plays a major role in the success of a kitchen. You need to have a love for the job and need to commit a lot of time.”
The chef spoke glowingly on his team, which consists of roughly nine people, who support him greatly in preparing all the meals.
While his primary focus is on satisfying the needs of the residents, Mr Giannakopoulos admitted there is a great deal of pride taken in the Home’s immense reputation for good-quality food across the country.
“I am very happy about that because it shows that your efforts are fruitful. It is recognition for the sweat we give as a team all day to do a good job, and so this is like a badge of honour for our efforts.”
Mr Giannakopoulos mentioned that, in addition to his fellow kitchen staff, the other employees of the Earlwood home are of great assistance with him especially being appreciative of the manager, Katerina Kouris.
“We are very lucky to have Katerina with us. She supports and helps us tremendously in so many ways that allows us to do our best work in making the food for the residents.”