The strengthened quality standards in aged care are reshaping how providers think about food, nutrition, and the dining experience. At Cater Care, we saw this not just as a compliance requirement, but also as an opportunity to lift the bar even higher for our teams, as one of our methods in solving challenges and growing our aged care food services. Mealtimes are central to wellbeing, and our chefs play a vital role in making them meaningful.
That’s why we created Masterclass, a program designed to connect, inspire, and equip our chef teams with the tools they need to continuously deliver safe, nutritious, resident-focused meals and to keep raising standards across aged care catering in Australia.
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Masterclass began with a simple question: what do our chefs need most? We asked them directly. They told us they wanted connection and a sense of community with other chefs, more innovation, and practical skills they could immediately use in their kitchens.
Pulling all chefs and chef managers out of their workplaces on the same day posed logistical challenges. Nursing home catering in Australia is a non-stop job, so to ensure clients weren’t disrupted while chefs and chef managers attended training, we carefully coordinated travel and shift coverage with qualified staff, and then ran a pilot to test the program.
It worked beautifully.
The sessions are hands-on, engaging, and designed with chefs in mind. Chefs are active, so Masterclass had to be interactive. Topics ranged from allergen management and menu planning to creating texture-modified meals that are both appealing and nutritious. Every activity connects back to the strengthened quality standards, with a particular focus on Standard 6: safe, nutritious, and enjoyable food.
There’s also a human touch. Chefs practice plating and presentation, participate in friendly competitions, and join mini team energiser tasks, like making protein balls to share for morning tea. These moments highlight that mealtimes are about dignity, community, and joy, as well as nutrition and compliance.
In doing so, Masterclass reinforces our commitment across aged care and other contract catering services in ensuring consistency and quality wherever we work.
As one of the leaders in nursing home catering in Australia, Cater Care designed Masterclass to focus on what matters most in aged care food services. With strengthened quality standard 6 at the heart of Masterclass, food and nutrition becomes the centre of meals in residential aged care.
Masterclass equips chefs to prepare safe, tasty meals and offer real choice. This includes allergen management and how to plate texture-modified foods beautifully, so every meal feels dignified and ensures residents enjoy meals that truly enhance their quality of life.
The first Masterclass was piloted in South Australia and has since rolled out nationwide. Feedback has been incredible, with participants rating their experience 4.99 out of 5. Importantly, they told us they left feeling more connected to their peers, inspired with new ideas, and better equipped to serve residents.
This is only the beginning. Each session is followed by surveys to capture feedback, and the insights shape future improvements. We’re planning Phase 2 for 2026, ensuring chefs know they have these annual sessions, and expanding the program to include apprenticeships.
For us, this cycle of listening, responding, and improving is what continuous improvement looks like in practice, and a reflection of our care, pride, and community values. It shows how we’re advancing aged care food services while staying focused on what matters most: making meaningful mealtimes for every resident.
As a leader in nursing home catering in Australia, Cater Care is proud to deliver aged care catering services that go beyond compliance. Masterclass is just one example of how we empower chefs to create safe, nutritious, resident-focused meals every day. We’re taking national sector discussion and leadership on board and turning it into practical daily change to give aged care facilities the best.
“The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards may present some challenges for the industry, but we’re confident that initiatives like these will help us build a future that delivers better care than ever before.”—Michelle Massey, General Manager – Operations for Cater Care Urban.
