Westcare kitchen

Connecting Up Australia staff members Rosalie and Kyla visited the large friendly kitchen at Westcare Day Centre, an inner city service of Baptist Care SA that supports disadvantaged people.

We met Heather, Westcare’s capable cook who came to the organisation a couple of months ago after many years of experience as a head cook and caterer in hotels and restaurants. She was looking for a role in which she was helping people... now she is in charge of all aspects of planning, preparing and serving a midday meal for anywhere between 50-120 people who need support because of issues such as poverty, homelessness, drug dependence or unemployment.

Every day except Saturday she oversees the preparation of a 3 course meal of soup, main course and dessert, assisted by volunteers who help with the many tasks that need to be done – filling the pie warmers, chopping vegetables, serving meals, clearing away and dish washing. Donations of bread, pies and other food items from a range of local businesses help to keep costs down. We were shown around the dining room, the shady courtyard decorated with mosaics and the drop in centre where people can call in to have a shower, use the laundry or pick up a loaf of bread.

Today’s volunteer team included new recruits, Lyn, Lyn and Steve, three neighbours with time to spare for a weekly shift. Heather says that the Westcare clients enjoy all of the meals she offers. There are regular menu items such as fish on Fridays, and she is introducing some new items including gluten free dishes to cater for special dietary needs. Zucchini Bake was main course of the day:

Zucchini Bake – serves 4-6

Ingredients

4 -6 zucchinis sliced
2 tins crushed tomatoes
4 rashers bacon, chopped and cooked
1 cup grated cheese
½ tsp paprika
1 tbs basil chopped
1 tbs parsley chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Place 1 layer of zucchini slices in baking dish

2. Top with crushed tomatoes, bacon, cheese and herbs

3. Continue layering ingredients until all are used, then top with grated cheese

4. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees