Tauranga Hospital Café Manager Greg Oliver (far left) and team.
Decade of service
reaps rewards
Our Tauranga Hospital team celebrated
10 years of committed food services on 1
November! Of the 54-strong team, eight people
have been there from day one.
As one of the ‘original eight’, Operations Manager Greg Oliver has
seen many positive changes, including transformation of the retail
cafés, Ground Floor Café and the Staff Café in July 2017.
“The Staff Café revamp has been a hit and our new salad bar is
popular. We’re also able to keep food fresher and warmer with
the new Hot Deck,” says Greg, adding that more vegetarian and
vegan options are now available.
Each day, the busy team on average: cooks 900 patient meals;
serves 600 café customers; prepares fine food for special
functions; and, prepares 50 Meals on Wheels meals.
“Our hospital kitchen team of 21 works under the guidance of
Catering to You Supervisor Binnie Kemara; our retail café has
four people; our DHB staff café is operated by six people, along
with Supervisor Kim Russell. Krista Geary oversees daily function
catering,” says Greg.
The team launched its menu on 31 July for Staff Café and
feedback has been good. New hot dishes include grilled
Mediterranean style fish with couscous, chicken tagine and herb
quinoa, and beef Cumberland pie with potato and cheese crust.
Fresh salads include pumpkin lentil and feta, Chorizo, olives and
pasta, and pulled pork and Vietnamese salad.
A day in the life …
5am
• Cooks and café team make breakfasts, lunches – a hive
of activity!
• Deliveries arrive, checked, temperatures recorded.
6am
• Catering to You team arrives, check Trendcare, assess
ward reports.
• Visit wards with beverage round, engage with ward staff
& patients.
18
Tauranga Hospital Café Retail Assistant Cindy Hayes.
6.30am
• Breakfast service begins.
• Trays made up, taken to the wards.
• Patients served (with a smile).
7am
• Staff Café welcomes hungry night shift crew buying breakfast
before heading home.
• Cabinets filled with treats, tasty dishes, and healthy, safe
options (fresh cookies bake in oven).
10am
• Lunch menu scripted to patients, serve comforting hot or cold
beverage for morning tea.
11am
• Meals On wheels served, dispatched. Quick staff catch-up.
• Lunch prep, ward patient service begins. Trays made up on
work station trollies loaded, delivered to wards, served.
• Hot food and salads displayed in cafés, staff morning tea
break, evening meal prep.
4.30pm onwards
• Ground Floor Café closes.
• Dinner preparation. Workstations ready to go.
• Fresh hot food & salads displayed in Staff Café ready for night
staff (smell of hot coffee).
5.30pm
• Trolleys returned from wards for cleaning. Kitchen cleaned down.
7pm
• Staff Café closes.
• Café cabinets cleared and the Staff cafe cleaned all set for a
fresh day!
8pm Hometime.
Did you know?
Greg has been in hospitality for more than 45 years; 20 years in
healthcare. In his spare time, he competes in vintage and classic
car rallies!