Newly Qualified Metlifecare Chef Shahil Lala

Newly Qualified Chef Shahil Lala

Cooking is in 24-year-old Shahil Lala’s DNA. The chef recently found out that his maternal great grandfather was a chef and paternal grandad was a wedding caterer.

hen I was a kid, mum and I were always experimenting with new flavours. I started off just licking the spoon and it grew from there.” After thriving in Food Tech at high school, snapping up a cookery apprenticeship seemed like a natural progression.

The newly qualified chef is now whipping up a storm as senior chef de partie at retirement village The Poynton Auckland’s Zest Café, one of the retirement village’s three bars and eateries.

Zest is an a la carte restaurant with a regularly changing menu, and the newly qualified chef has learnt a lot with lots of opportunities for creativity.

Nutritionally balanced, dietician-approved meals are de rigueur in Lala’s kitchen - but that certainly doesn’t mean bland and boring.

“Being a younger chef, I’m always looking at trends on social media and bringing those ideas into the village.

I think residents enjoy experiencing my modern take on things, such as putting a fresh twist on an old traditional favourite like lamb shanks,” Lala said.

The chef’s desserts are also a hot favourite. For his final assessment, Lala created an orange and cardamom crème brulee that got such positive feedback it is now on the menu.

While some young chefs might choose to cut their teeth in the latest trendy restaurant, for Lala completing his apprenticeship at Metlifecare was a rich and rewarding experience.

“Cooking is my happy place, and getting paid to learn has been amazing.” The restaurant is a huge part of village life, as a meeting place for friends and family and a space for residents to socialise.

Lala enjoys knowing that by cooking delicious food, he is enhancing people’s lives.

A LITTLE BIT OF LUXURY

Food is at the heart of living as we age and Royal Porcelain offer beautiful choices of dinnerware for your residents.

Royal Porcelain has been the innerware of choice in agecare for many years with its outstanding quality. Each piece is fired at a high temperature and with double glazing presents with a smooth white finish and a brilliant shine. The range is highly resistant to scratches & chipping making it highly suited to a busy environment. Royal Porcelain is stocked in New Zealand for easy procurement, replacement and range extension. Newly released is the “Resonate Red” range designed for visual/physical impairment and Alzheimer’s - a welcome innovation in the age care space.