Saltwater Kitchen making its mark in Darwin

Mission Australia’s Saltwater Kitchen social enterprise has plenty on its plate, with more requests for catering coming in each week.

Based in Darwin, this commercial catering business provides practical training and work experience to disadvantaged jobseekers. Now in its second year of operation, the business is thriving, and recently catered for a 130-person event at the Darwin Museum.

Saltwater Kitchen currently employs 18 trainees, who are all undertaking or have just completed their Certificate II in Hospitality.

“Some of our trainees have never had a job let alone knowing what responsibilities having a job entails,” said Enterprise Development Manager, John Vreeling.

“The program is a real success and you can see it in our participants. Many commence with little or no self confidence and at the end of the 26 weeks you can really see a positive change.”

Trainees are employed for a period of approximately 26 weeks. During this time they rotate work locations between any of the three local primary school canteens and Saltwater Kitchen. During this time they are mentored and supported by our Canteen Managers – one of whom is a former trainee of the program – and Saltwater Kitchen’s resident Head Chef, Leigh Harding.

Saltwater Kitchen is operated by Mission Australia as part of the Changing Places Innovation Fund, which is delivered by the Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations.

Photo:  from left, John Vreeling (Enterprise Development Manager) with trainees Dwayne Wilson and Sarah-Jane Walkington at the Darwin Museum function earlier this month.

Saltwater Kitchen welcomes new head chef and trainees

Mission Australia’s Saltwater Kitchen has welcomed a new Head Chef, Leigh Harding, who is sharing 30 years’ worth of culinary knowledge with the Darwin social enterprises’s latest intake of trainees.

The catering business supplies fresh, healthy food to school students, local businesses and government departments while providing practical training and work experience to local disadvantaged job seekers.

Head chef Leigh has worked in the hospitality industry for three decades, including six years teaching Commercial Cookery at Charles Darwin University. He also has experience delivering training to remote Aboriginal communities.

The 17 new trainee recruits began their pre-employment training this week in preparation for the start of the school year next Tuesday.

“We’ve got a great crew on board this year,” said Mission Australia Enterprise Development Manager Lawson Broad. “The trainees are all looking forward to putting their new skills into action next week.”

Saltwater Kitchen currently caters for Sanderson Middle School, Rosebery Middle School, Rosebery Primary School and Millner Primary School and recently moved into Nightcliff Middle School. The training kitchen at Nightcliff has proved to be the ideal base for Saltwater Kitchen’s high-quality catering business.

Mission Australia has also recruited three more Canteen Managers to Saltwater Kitchen, given the growing numbers of schools the social enterprise is catering to.

Saltwater Kitchen is operated by Mission Australia as part of the Changing Places Innovation Fund, which is deliverd by the Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations.