Sukhi is Cooking up a Storm at Aspire Clyde North

If there is one thing that Aspire Clyde North is known for, it’s their incredible centre chef Sukhi! She is a friendly and familiar face to all who visit the centre regularly, and has a deep passion for children as well as cooking. We were lucky enough to visit her in-centre and see her in action.

Sukhi has been at Aspire Early Education & Kindergarten Clyde North since it opened in 2019. Ever since then, she has continually grown and developed her cooking abilities, and her love for the centre.

Her passion for her role at Aspire was born from her love of working with children and cooking food. After working as a resort restaurant chef for many years, Sukhi felt like she needed a change after starting a family. The next step for her was to study early childhood education, and received her Diploma when she had children. Having initially started on the floor as an educator, Sukhi’s passion for cooking was still strong. This is when and why, she went down the path of becoming a centre chef.

Into the Kitchen

We meet Sukhi taking a new family around on a tour of the centre. If there is anyone who knows the centre like the back of her hand it’s Sukhi!

After she warmly said goodbye to the touring family, we were welcomed into the bustling kitchen. We met her kitchen assistant Hitpal, and the centre chef for the upcoming Cranbourne North centre, Devesh, who were preparing food for that afternoon’s Mother’s Day event and for the children's lunch.

The centre's mums and special people coming along to the event were in for a treat! There were two kinds of sandwiches, one cream cheese and veggie and the other chicken and mayo. We can confirm that both of these sandwiches were extremely tasty. An awesome fruit salad was on offer, as well as an incredible blueberry cake baked by Devesh.

Watching Sukhi in her element was honestly awe inspiring. She prepared all the dishes with ease, chopping up everything quickly, ensuring that everything tasted just right. Time and care is put into every dish.

Time for Lunch!

As preparation for the sandwiches wrapped up, it was time for the children to receive their lunch. Seasoned lamb and couscous with roast veggies was on the menu for the day. These kids eat better than we do at home!

We took the food out to the kids, who were jumping with excitement to eat. Just see them absolutely devouring the food in the pictures below, they loved it! After getting the seal of approval from the toddler and nursery rooms, we went back to chat to Sukhi in the kitchen.

Sukhi’s Programs at Clyde North

Aspire Clyde North has many great food-based initiatives run in their centre. One of the best ones is their Children’s Committee. The Children's Committee is a selection of kindergarten kids that gather to give their ideas and suggestions to the centre team. Something that they give feedback on is on the upcoming menu selections that Sukhi has made. Recently, the children gave feedback on Sukhi’s winter menu items. The pumpkin soup with crusty bread was a massive hit! The main feedback? The kids wanted to use the bread instead of spoons, so that is how it will be prepared for them moving forward.

Sukhi also runs regular cooking classes with the children at Clyde North. It’s a wonderful way to help with children’s cooking skills, as well as with basic maths and cause and effect. The kids had a great time earlier in the year making Anzac biscuits for their families. They had fun putting all the ingredients into the bowl and mixing them. A highlight was rolling the dough into balls and flattening them with their hands, as well as eating them of course.  

Sukhi is especially proud of the connections she has made with families at Clyde North.  Being at the centre since its inception has given her a unique opportunity to impact every family that has been through the centre. She loves being able to prepare healthy and nutritionally balanced food for each child, whilst keeping in mind any dietary requirements.

Aspire’s chefs are a step above the rest when it comes to early childhood nutrition. We pride ourselves on adhering to Nutrition Australia guidelines, and fostering a love of healthy eating and lifestyles in our centres. If you want to learn more about Aspire Early Education Clyde North, check out their centre page here.