Less Waste, More Value: Smarter Use of Your Aged Care Pantry Staples
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
RiseUp's Catering Operations Specialist, Dennis Micallef, has been a chef for over 30 years and has spent years working in and managing Aged Care kitchens. One pattern that constantly occurs is overstocking of pantries because many chefs aren't getting nearly enough out of the products already on their shelves and in the cool room or freezer.
"It's not about buying more," Dennis says. "It's about getting more from what you already have."
Across everything from condiments and stocks to fortified supplements and cooking staples, the opportunity to use products across multiple applications rather than one, is often overlooked. Habit plays a big role. So does a lack of training on what a product can actually do. Dennis's Pantry Brief:
Review your full product range - Look at everything on the shelf and ask whether it's being used to its full potential, across meals, menus, and dietary needs
Identify multi-use opportunities - many pantry staples can work across all of service with simple preparation adjustments
Train your team - knowledge gaps quietly drive up costs
Ask your foodservice suppliers and distributors specifically about multi-use products and how they can be applied
Audit your pantry regularly with your team - fresh eyes can uncover waste and missed opportunities you've stopped noticing
Small changes in how your team uses everyday products can reduce waste, lower costs, and free up time to focus on what matters most, quality meals and dignified care for every resident.
About Dennis Micallef
Dennis is a culinary professional with over 35 years' experience as a chef, the last 25 specialising in institutional catering. Having held Chef leadership roles at Cater Care, Opal Healthcare, Leigh Place, and St John of God Health Care, and with a background that includes fine dining at Daydream and Hayman Island resorts, Dennis brings a unique blend of clinical knowledge and culinary creativity to every plate.