EXCLUSIVE: Twenty Maltese Chefs To Live In Qormi Kitchen For Two Weeks Preparing 5,000 Meals A Day For The Elderly
Cover photo: The chefs saying goodbye to their families and arriving at the kitchen
A team of 20 chefs are set to live in a major kitchen for the next two weeks preparing food for the elderly in an attempt to minimise the exposure to COVID-19.
The chefs, who will not be leaving the kitchen until the two weeks are up, volunteered for CaterEssence’s ‘Stay In The Kitchen’ initiative to support elderly homes around Malta.
A group photo of the 20 chefs who volunteered for the initiative
They will now be living in the company’s Central Processing Unit in Qormi, preparing over 5,000 meals a day to be distributed to 12 care homes, including nine homes operated by CareMalta and their respective staff, who are currently undergoing a similar ‘live in’ initiative.
“I know that we will get through these trying times. The only way out is to work together. My deepest gratitude goes to all our incredible team at CaterEssence who continue to serve our remaining business activities with enthusiasm and dedication throughout these challenging times,” CaterEssence CEO Alex Tranter said in a message to employees.
The chefs' new home was fumigated before they arrived
This live-in initiative formed part of CaterEssence’s contingency plan for COVID-19 with preparations triggered this past week.
Apart from the immediate introduction of “very rigid” sanitisation procedures for all incoming stocks and the daily screening of all employees, CaterEssence shifted all its administrative offices adjacent to its CPU in order to convert this area into living facilities for those who will be working and staying in the kitchen for a fortnight at a time.
Chefs found a small gift waiting for them on their beds
Yesterday, the first team involved in this initiative brought over their personal belongings before the start of their live-in on Sunday so they could be sanitized.
CaterEssence has teamed up with the Richmond Foundation to provide mental health support to those involved as was the case with all those living in at CareMalta homes who started their live-in a fortnight ago.
Tag someone who needs to see this!
READ NEXT: ‘We’ve Fallen Victim To Corona’: Balluta Cocktail Bar Cork’s Shuts Down
