ndis
Cook +
Connect
A cooking program run
by Blue Mountains Food
Services is helping young
people with disability
develop vital life skills and
increase social connection.
T
he Cook + Connect program, Fran said she gets to enjoy the meals peers, he was in the kitchen helping to
held throughout the Blue Josh cooks every Friday. serve up.
“He takes so much pride in “I’m hoping one day he’ll have the
started in April 2017 and, since then, knowing that I say to him every opportunity to work as a kitchen hand
has helped young people like Josh Friday, ‘I love this meal’. It’s given … he loves serving and cleaning, so
Elston become more independent. him so much confidence and given maybe there’s opportunities there for
him the opportunity to show he employment down the line. The world
+ Connect had impacted her and can cook – and he loves cooking,” is his oyster and Cook + Connect is
Josh’s lives in a way she never she said. definitely helping him get there.”
Mountains in New South Wales,
Josh’s mum, Fran, said Cook
imagined possible.
“Our goal together is for Josh to
live independently … it will be good
Fran said she is “in awe” of what
the program has done for Josh.
“If you had told me 20 years ago
Leesa Raymond from Blue
Mountains Food Services NDIS
Support said Cook + Connect is a life
to know if anything should happen to that Josh would be cooking in the skills and social connection program
me, he’s going to be self-sufficient, kitchen, I would have laughed … for young people with an NDIS plan
be able learn how to cook, and learn so the program itself has been whose goals include developing
safety in the kitchen,” Fran said. amazing, and he loves helping people cooking skills and social skills.
Josh participates in Cook +
Connect Group on a Tuesday, and
Cook + Connect Home on a Friday.
in kitchen situations,” Fran said.
“At his Special Olympics Christmas
party, instead of being out with his
“There are three different Cook +
Connect programs,” Leesa said.
“Cook + Connect Group is where
participants take part in small group
sessions in a commercial kitchen; Cook
+ Connect Home is an individualised
program where participants learn
Josh in the
kitchen,
assisted
by Leesa
from Blue
Mountains
Food
Services,
at left and
above.
16
ndis
to do the shopping and then cook
in their own kitchen; and Cook +
Connect Community is a community-
based program where participants
work alongside a qualified chef and
volunteers in a community restaurant.”
www.bmfs.org.au
www.benrobertscafe.org.au
linkonline.com.au