10 Dec '09

Taste buds getting finer with age

Press Release

It seems fine dining doesn't stop at restaurants or in international hotels these days. Leading private aged care provider, TriCare has launched a five-star dining element to its $20 million, state-of-the-art aged care residence at Mermaid Beach.

The aged care residence is the first of its kind in Australia and caters for up to 74 residents.

Featuring a hotel-like dining room, an opulent private dining room, lounge area, outdoor balcony and a cafe, it seems taste buds are getting finer with age.

The residents at TriCare Mermaid Beach are currently greeted by head chef Angela Stott each morning to discuss fresh produce and design a menu for the day.

Following the menu design, residents are welcomed to the dining room and treated to fine-dining restaurant service.

"At TriCare Mermaid Beach we focus on delivering extra services," said head chef Angela Stott.

"The facility is an up-market, five-star centre and the kitchen is a major operation within it.

"We treat our guests to high-end, restaurant service and focus on serving them fresh and tasty meals.

"I source as much produce as I can locally, and speak to residents to design attractive menus. There is a great deal of expectation at this facility and I find it challenging yet rewarding to come up with new, innovative ideas every week."

Ms Stott says some of the favourite lunch time dishes at Mermaid Beach TriCare include lamb shanks, pickled pork with mustard sauce, spinach, ricotta and pumpkin lasagna, smoked salmon frittata and beef or chicken masala.

"We also cater for a range of dietary requirements and the varying nutritional needs of residents," she said.

"We serve wine with the meals and offer an array of breakfast and lunch options. From fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereal, toast to a full cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs with chives or the lot. The evening meal is usually gourmet sandwiches or a hot meal if they choose.

"No matter what the meal, guests sit down to eat in the dining room that exudes a warm, restaurant ambience and are served by uniformed staff."

The kitchen at TriCare Mermaid Beach is overseen by general manager of food services, Caroline Lucas.

Ms Lucas has worked in the aged care food industry for over a decade and says there has certainly been a change in demand over the years.

"The TriCare facility at Mermaid Beach takes aged care living to new levels," she said.

"It is very prestige and with that comes the need for up-market food services.

"Gone are the days of hospital-like, frozen food and the standard meat and three vegetables every night. Although the basics are still required, we focus on adding a unique and creative spin to them.

"It is a challenging industry for chefs as they can be up against some tough critics. They have the same diners for three meals a day, 7 days a week, so it's important to not only ensure guests are receiving fresh, nutritious meals but they have variety in their diets.

"We've got to ensure every meal, every day is served at a high-standard as our residents expect five-star service in this facility."

The Mermaid Beach facility also allows families to join the residents in the private dining room.

"Whether it's a birthday, anniversary or special visit, families can dine in the elegant private room and be served anything from morning tea to a three-course meal with matching wines," said Ms Lucas.

"We are also going to open our café in coming months that will allow the residents to take their friends and families for a cappuccino or cafe-style snack."

Catering for an exclusive 74 residents, the facility is certainly leading the way on not just the aged care scene, but the local food one too.

Some of the other features of the Mermaid Beach facility include:

• Spacious and luxuriously furnished suites
• Large screen TV and DVD player standard in every suite
• Electrically controlled bed and recliner for ultimate comfort
• Private patio
• Well appointed community lounge and sitting rooms including library
• A private dining room overlooking the central courtyard for families to utilise
• Physiotherapy, hairdressing & beauty salon and dentist facilities
• Extensive balcony with sun lounges and several activity areas for resident hobbies or residents to entertain their guests

TriCare owns 17 aged-care facilities in Queensland and provides home-care services in Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast.

If you would like more information on Mermaid Beach Aged Care Residence please phone the centre on (07) 5554 7300.