A mission to revolutionise aged care cuisine

Lyn Fidler with M. André Cointreau, President, Le Cordon Bleu International. Photo taken in 2019, used by permission Red Havas

Alumna Lyn Fidler supercharged a successful career in healthcare with a Diplôme de Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu Brisbane to pursue her heartfelt mission to ensure aged-care residents receive high-quality cuisine.

The following is taken from a blog written by Lyn Fidler & originally published here - photo and content used by permission Red Havas.

What inspired you to study a Diplôme de Cuisine?
After a successful career in healthcare, working with specialised medical foods and other aspects of healthcare at a corporate management level, I’d seen enough behind the scenes to know that change is overdue in the aged care food industry.

To understand the issues plaguing the industry you just need to read the news. Under-funding food services is one of the main issues that directly affects the quality, efficacy and overall enjoyment of the food and nutrition that is so vital for aged care residents.

To say I was concerned about the meals being presented to our aged community in the latter stages of their life is an understatement. This concern was one of the inspirations behind my career change, fuelled by a desire to get involved and make a difference.

Being a mature-aged student wasn’t a concern for me. I knew studying at the world’s oldest culinary institution would allow me to incorporate the history, philosophy, professionalism and discipline embedded in their teaching and inject this into aged care food.

Why did you choose Le Cordon Bleu?
I resigned from my job and applied to the iconic cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu - an institution that I knew would provide the perfect foundation for my career change. I applied as part of the first intake of students at the Brisbane campus at South Bank.

During my year of study, I was thrilled to meet M. André Cointreau, President of Le Cordon Bleu International during his visit to Brisbane for the formal opening of the new campus kitchens. I was also delighted to work with chef Tom Milligan, Culinary Arts Technical Director of Le Cordon Bleu Australia, when he was directing a Truffle Masterclass at Le Festival.

Upon completing my Diplôme de Cuisine, I received the Le Cordon Bleu Award for Excellence in Culinary Arts in my cohort, in recognition of achieving the highest aggregated marks in the final practical exams for Basic, Intermediate and Superior levels. The award came with a grant towards further study with the cooking school, a huge bonus, which I’ll take advantage of in the near future.

Where has your journey taken you since graduation?
Since graduating on October 2019, I feel extremely fulfilled to have completed a life-long dream and confident that I am in a better position to assist in transforming the aged care food industry. In the meantime, I am gaining practical experience of à la carte and event catering working two to three days a week in a highly regarded event centre.

By combining my new culinary qualification and expertise gained in my former career I can explore the changes taking place in the aged-care food industry and seek to improve what is served on the plate to aged-care residents.

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