Join us as we meet some of our amazing aged care workers.
Meet Darren, an award-winning fine dining chef who recently decided to transition to the role of Chef Manager at BaptistCare Orana aged care home, Central Coast, NSW.
A family heritage
For Darren, cooking is in his blood.
“I’ve been a professional, full-time chef since the age of 16,” says Darren. “But I’ve been working in the kitchen since I was seven years old. I’m now 64.”
Darren comes from a long line of illustrious chefs, including his father and his grandfather before him. Darren’s middle brother also cooks for a living.
After decades of working in Sydney’s fine dining scene, including taking on roles such as Executive Chef at Sydney’s luxury Grace Hotel, and Group Operations Manager for Oaks Hotels and Resorts, Darren was ready for something new.
He started with BaptistCare as Chef Manager in January 2024.
“Moving into aged care was about stepping out of the highly pressured, fast paced world of fine dining and enjoying a new challenge,” says Darren.
"I’d seen the work of Maggie Beer and Stephanie Alexander and was inspired to make a difference in aged care too. Now BaptistCare Orana is the first Baptist Care site to be part of the Maggie Beer Foundation’s Mentorship Program.”
Cooking with passion
Darren’s days at Orana fly by in a flash. He arrives at 6.30am and the next minute, it’s 3.30pm and the end of his shift.
“I’m on the go the whole time,” he smiles. “But if I have a nano second, I like to try something new for our valued residents, like today – hand made petit fours for our Coffee Club residents!”
Darren says that delivering excellence in the food industry is all about the simple things.
“Food just needs to be shown love. For example, the protein always ends up being the hero on the plate – but why not the vegetables? With a little seasoning and extra love, they can be absolutely magical.”
“I always ask our servery staff to taste the food we are serving to residents. You can’t serve something when you have no idea what it tastes like yourself,” says Darren.
The value of good competition
Outside of work, Darren is still heavily involved in the food industry, being a familiar face to many.
He regularly competes in global culinary competitions, recently clinching Gold at the 2022 ICC Sydney Restaurant of Champions.
Having sat as Chairman of Judges for the NSW, ACT & Regions Chapter of the Australian Culinary Federation, and continuing to judge competitions today, Darren is a big advocate for aged care dining.
“I’m working on adding a new competitive category for aged care,” he says. “Why shouldn’t there be one?”
Darren is also stirring up enthusiasm and morale within Orana’s kitchen, with servery teams soaking up his talent and passion.
“It’s so great to see the team getting excited about the food we’re serving,” he says.
The BaptistCare ‘family’
“We chefs are just frustrated artists – we crave acknowledgement,” Darren jokes.
“Seeing my valued residents loving what I cook for them is so satisfying. I love it!
“The other day, one of the residents’ sons walked past me in the carpark and asked if I was the new chef. When I confirmed, he told me his mother had reported that she’d had the most delicious chicken dish of her life that week.
“It's wonderful to receive feedback like that. I will always go the extra mile to serve a better product to my Baptistcare ‘family.’”
The secret to healthy ageing?
According to Darren, it all comes back to good food.
“My dad lived to 98, my grandfather 96, my Mum 88, and my Nan 94. They all ate well, and had a good, balanced diet – but – cooked with love!”
