Council recently installed a new, state-of-the-art oven at Elizabeth House Positive Ageing Centre, Christie Downs - a perfect example of a small upgrade that can make a huge difference to a lot pf people.
The new oven, which is being used to make reasonably priced fresh meals for the community, was chosen after consultation with centre kitchen staff and has proven to be a welcome addition to their commercial kitchen.
Elizabeth House Positive Ageing Centre Coordinator Anja Clark sang the praises of the new oven’s capabilities.
“We provide a nutritionally balanced three course meal option daily to the local community. All our meals are made on the premises, using fresh ingredients, some of which are sourced from our extensive vegetable and herb gardens.
All meals are made possible by the services of our wonderful chef and volunteer kitchen staff who love the new oven which has a much faster cooking time, meaning a greater number of meals can be produced to cater for our increasing client demand.
The oven is fully programmable and can cook traditionally or using steam. It has a grill function which provides a great alternative to fried food and is self-cleaning. The oven uses less power and doesn’t heat up the kitchen like our old ovens did. Our kitchen staff are grateful for the waist height of the oven which means no bending to lift heavy pans’, Anja said.
City of Onkaparinga facility Officer Dean Watkins and Community Asset Planner Simon Jones worked with the centre to provide an appliance that would best fit with their cooking requirements. Simon recounted his personal knowledge of how important the centre’s meal service was to the community.
“My neighbour who is widowed and in her nineties is picked up by a council volunteer driver twice a week and taken to Elizabeth House for a hot lunch. She often tells me how much she looks forward to those trips”, Simon said.
For more information visit the website or phone 8384 5170.