Let me explain.
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a tale beloved by my whole family. We swooned as Jim Carey played the evil Count Olaf in 2004. We squealed with delight as Neil Patrick Harris played the role in the 2017 Netflix series.
We waited with anticipation for the release of Season 2, which (in 2018) coincided with the Easter Long weekend. We planned a weekend get-together and prepared for a fabulous family weekend. Little did I know I would have wonderful news to share.
A few hours before the Easter break I received an email from my Primary Supervisor asking me if I would be available to support the Maggie Beer Masterclass being conducted in Brisbane from Sunday the 8th April through to Tuesday the 10th April.
Despite my office being at a completely different end of the campus to hers, I am quite sure she heard me squeal with delight!
*cue the flashback scene that provides the necessary background information for the audience*
I began my degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at Flinders University in 2014. This is also the year that the Nutrition and Dietetics Department announced a partnership with the Maggie Beer Foundation. Clearly, a fabulous and auspicious year!
The Foundation was borne out of Maggie Beer’s passion to enhance the food experience of older people (1). Their joint vision is to ensure good nutrition and reduced risk of malnutrition among older Australians living in residential aged care facilities.
Born in Sydney in 1945, and raised in Sydney’s western suburbs Maggie Beer left school at the age of 14 to help support her family. She relocated to the Barossa Valley in 1979 and launched the iconic Barossa Pheasant Farm Restaurant and branched into producing her own line of gourmet products (2). Her love of fresh, seasonal ingredients to create flavoursome food has made her a recognizable personality in most Australian homes.
In 2010 Maggie Beer was named Senior Australian of the Year (3). In preparation for a speaking engagement at the annual Aged & Community Services Australia conference, she researched food service an aged care and recognised many areas for improvement (4).
She met with the Federal Minister for Aging, Mark Butler, to discuss forming a partnership, however, discussions were unfruitful. From this experience, the Maggie Beer Foundation was born and experts from various sectors involved with food provision in aged care such as chefs, cooks, dietitians, and academics, just to name a few, were invited to participate.
The foundation and its partners act as advocates and agents for change to enhance the food experience for older people living in residential aged care facilities.
The Foundation has implemented ‘The Maggie Beer Appetite for Life’ program which provides hands-on workshops chefs and cooks involved in food service provision in residential aged care facilities.
During the workshop participants listen to expert speakers on health, wellbeing and nutrition in the elderly. Hands-on workshops include mystery box challenges and other cooking sessions where theory is put into practice.
The goal of these workshops is to inspire chefs and cooks to transform the food experience of residents in aged care facilities.
I am very excited to be able to meet Maggie Beer and to roll up my sleeves and work side by side with the cooks and chefs who are the backbone of food service provision in this setting. This is a very valuable opportunity for me as a dietitian and an incredible networking opportunity for me as a researcher.
(1) https://www.maggiebeerfoundation.org.au/mission
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Beer
(3) https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/alumni/connect/maggie-beer/
(4) https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/2014/07/31/maggie-beers-food-crusade/
I began my degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at Flinders University in 2014. This is also the year that the Nutrition and Dietetics Department announced a partnership with the Maggie Beer Foundation. Clearly, a fabulous and auspicious year!
The Foundation was borne out of Maggie Beer’s passion to enhance the food experience of older people (1). Their joint vision is to ensure good nutrition and reduced risk of malnutrition among older Australians living in residential aged care facilities.
Born in Sydney in 1945, and raised in Sydney’s western suburbs Maggie Beer left school at the age of 14 to help support her family. She relocated to the Barossa Valley in 1979 and launched the iconic Barossa Pheasant Farm Restaurant and branched into producing her own line of gourmet products (2). Her love of fresh, seasonal ingredients to create flavoursome food has made her a recognizable personality in most Australian homes.
In 2010 Maggie Beer was named Senior Australian of the Year (3). In preparation for a speaking engagement at the annual Aged & Community Services Australia conference, she researched food service an aged care and recognised many areas for improvement (4).
She met with the Federal Minister for Aging, Mark Butler, to discuss forming a partnership, however, discussions were unfruitful. From this experience, the Maggie Beer Foundation was born and experts from various sectors involved with food provision in aged care such as chefs, cooks, dietitians, and academics, just to name a few, were invited to participate.
The foundation and its partners act as advocates and agents for change to enhance the food experience for older people living in residential aged care facilities.
The Foundation has implemented ‘The Maggie Beer Appetite for Life’ program which provides hands-on workshops chefs and cooks involved in food service provision in residential aged care facilities.
During the workshop participants listen to expert speakers on health, wellbeing and nutrition in the elderly. Hands-on workshops include mystery box challenges and other cooking sessions where theory is put into practice.
The goal of these workshops is to inspire chefs and cooks to transform the food experience of residents in aged care facilities.
I am very excited to be able to meet Maggie Beer and to roll up my sleeves and work side by side with the cooks and chefs who are the backbone of food service provision in this setting. This is a very valuable opportunity for me as a dietitian and an incredible networking opportunity for me as a researcher.
(1) https://www.maggiebeerfoundation.org.au/mission
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Beer
(3) https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/alumni/connect/maggie-beer/
(4) https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/2014/07/31/maggie-beers-food-crusade/
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