Trinity's Kitchen team: A well-oiled machine

Alexander is an expert in leathercrafting and a Reiki practitioner. He has also been at Trinity for just over three years and is passionate about food and working with the student bursars, which he says makes his day. 
 
“When we make such good friends with them [the students], it makes it much easier for them to appreciate we are doing a job. So, when they’re a bit unhappy, they appreciate it is part of our job. The students get to be a part of that as well, they see what it’s like serving the food or doing the dishes,” says Alexander.
 
Catering Site Manger, Anneli Liiv, joined the College only a few months ago. After previously being a catering manager for hotels, Anneli is excited to be working in a residential college for the first time.
 
Anneli who is also a running enthusiast and sommelier is passionate about, “creating a fun, memorable and professional experience for everyone who dines with us [at Trinity], as well as for the team I work with!”
 
Both Alexander and Anneli enjoy the interaction with the students, particularly the 180 students who eat regularly in the Dining Hall.
 
“I really like the community feel. We work with them, we see them and it’s a good way to get to know them during the service whether it be breakfast, lunch and dinner,” says Anneli.
 
In addition to Alexander and Anneli, other kitchen staff include: Loren Wisbey, Sandra Donnelly, and Cathy Coates who help organise breakfast and lunch; Colin Scarfe, Hua Chang and Roshan Thapaliya who prepare the dinners; superstar baristas, Shailesh Prabhu and David Baldini; and newly appointed Executive Chef, Trenton Root. Current residential student Will Carr also spends three days a week working as a kitchen assistant, while studying at the University of Melbourne. 
 
The appointment of Roshan in mid-2017 as a special dietary chef was a welcome addition to the College team, with Roshan’s dietary knowledge proving popular among the students.
 
“Roshan’s here because of the number of students we have with dietary needs. Last year, we had just over 300 residential students and at least 50 percent of them had a dietary need of one form or another. All the dietary needs have been designed by him and he’s very well educated in special needs,” explains Alexander.
 
The Kitchen team makes meals seven days a week, but they still manage to have fun and produce high quality food for residential and non-residential students as well as Trinity staff.
 
“I’ve got to say I’ve never worked with a team quite as well knit as this one. It sounds a bit boring, but we’re doing the same thing in and out every day, but that just means we get to do it really well. Everyone knows exactly what they’re doing, everyone likes what they’re doing, and it’s a well-oiled machine,” says Alexander.
 
The team is always open to feedback whether it be at the student forums each semester, online feedback through the Portal or word of mouth such as when the students say, “Burgers today, I love burger day.”
 
Whether you are a student, parent, staff, alumni or member of the wider community, you will be well fed at Trinity.