Devoted care home chef brings haute cuisine to elderly residents
NEW YORK: A devoted care home head chef has become an online sensation after serving up haute cuisine-inspired dishes for its elderly residents.
Kevin Nairn, 42, goes to painstaking effort to serve up restaurant-style fare for the 30 inhabitants at Stormont Lodge care home in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, part of the private Balhousie Care Group.
His creations range from tasty lasagne served with a garnish, to venison and crème brûlée – as well as hotel-standard afternoon tea.
The proud chef posted images of his food on his Facebook page, where they were shared by his sister Yvonne McDonald.
They’ve since been appreciated by more than 130,000 people, with many praising the high quality of his meals.
Balhousie Care Group was previously criticised for allegedly putting up its fees by around £300 in April, during the height of the coronavirus lockdown.
The son of an elderly resident in one of the group’s homes revealed he was charged £3,600 a month for his father’s care before the price hike.
Stormont Lodge is set in picturesque surroundings in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, in Scotland.
According to its website, it provides residential as well as nursing, post-operative and end of life care.
It has around 30 residents who have en-suite rooms in the Victorian-era property.
In a December 2019 inspection by the Care Inspectorate it was found to adequately support residents’ wellbeing.
It was also rated as ‘Very Good’ in terms of how it plans its care and support.
According to its website, Stormont Lodge provides residential as well as nursing, post-operative and end of life care.
Kevin also makes dishes including cranberry and brie canapes, Indian-style vegetable pakoras and traditional cooked breakfasts with all the trimmings.
They are all presented in a manner which would not be out of place in a top hotel.
Kevin said he gets a lot of joy out of cooking for the residents, some of whom have dementia.
‘It is all they look forward to,’ he said. ‘My soups go down a treat all the time. All the cream soups – tomato soup is one of the biggest ones that I do.’
The chef, who involves Stormont Lodge’s residents in devising his menus by giving them scorecards to rate his creations, said his background working in hotels means the appearance of his dishes is important to him.
He said: ‘If I’m not going to eat it then I shouldn’t present it. If it doesn’t look appealing then nobody is going to eat it and I’m not doing my job.’
Asked which dishes are a favourite of the residents, Kevin said: ‘I’ve got braised steak on just now, they love it.
‘The desserts are also a big treat. Homemade pizzas too, and obviously the lasagne. You don’t expect that, but they do like other stuff.’
Kevin’s sister Yvonne told Bored Panda she shared the pictures of Kevin’s food in the hope that others would see the lengths he goes to for the care home residents.
‘I am extremely proud of my big brother and we are always discussing food and recipes,’ she said.
‘When he shared these photos with me, I just thought, ‘Wow, I need other people to see what he does.’
‘During this strange time of the COVID-19 lockdown, care homes have had it tough and I just wanted people to see the happiness my brother brings to the residents.’
People who saw the pictures after they were shared widely by Kevin’s sister commented on how brilliant the dishes looked.
