Independent Australian consultancy
The meal as a system of care.
We work with:
Specialist aged care consultancy in food, dining, hospitality systems and workforce capability.
Aged care providers
Healthcare catering services
Food manufacturers
Industry bodies and partners
Four decades
of culinary experience, from
classical hospitality to aged care
Two-time winner
IHHC Texture Modified Chef of the
Year, 2021/22 and 2024
NSW Representative, Australian
Institute of Technical Chefs
AITC Committee
Working with providers and
partners nationally
Sydney based
Who we are
The resident does not experience the policy. They experience the system that delivers the meal.
Culinary Care Group is an independent Australian consultancy specialising in food, dining and hospitality systems across aged care, healthcare and related sectors. We work with providers and industry partners to improve operational performance, food safety, workforce capability and the overall dining experience.
Founded by Lindsey O'Grady, the practice brings four decades of culinary experience together with specialist expertise in aged care food services, education and operational improvement.
Our approach is practical, evidence-led and grounded in the realities of everyday service delivery.
Our Services
From recommendation to the resident's table.
Independent operational reviews, practical kitchen systems and workforce capability development.
01
Independent assessments of kitchen operations, dining services and the systems connecting catering with care.
Operational reviews
02
Practical compliance reviews, gap analysis and operational systems that work beyond the paperwork.
Food safety and kitchen systems
03
Implementation, auditing and training that support safe, appealing meals and meaningful resident choice.
IDDSI and texture modification
04
Menu and production planning
Menus and production systems that balance nutrition, resident preferences, resources and everyday delivery.
Catering, care and clinical
Stronger communication between kitchen, care and clinical teams, so recommendations reach the plate.
Practical capability building, including IDDSI and Standard 6 resident mealtime experience.
Training and mentoring
Product development
Technical culinary support for manufacturers of texture-modified and aged care products.
Standard 6 operational audit reviews and workforce capability training
Practical, onsite support that connects Standard 6 requirements with what actually happens in your kitchens and dining rooms.
One-day engagement: Focused mealtime observations, review of catering and care practices, identification of operational gaps and practical recommendations for improvement.
Two-day engagement: A more detailed review of food and dining systems, kitchen–care–clinical communication, targeted face-to-face workforce training and a prioritised improvement action plan.
Designed for individual residential aged care homes or tailored across multiple sites.
Areas of expertise
Beyond the kitchen: the wider food service system.
Aged care food services
Food service systems improvement
Quality assurance and governance
Culinary innovation
Healthcare catering
Dining experience improvement
Risk assessments and corrective actions
Strategic hospitality consulting
Catering operations management
Resident mealtime experience and Standard 6
Workforce capability development
National industry engagement
Consultancy, industry engagement, communication, systems improvements and product development.
Audit readiness | Training | Communication
The group
Culinary Care Group delivers its work through four specialist programs and capabilities.
Culinary Care Institute
Education, training and professional capability.
Kitchen DNA
Diagnostics, food safety and operational assessment.
Kitchen Blindness
Leadership and risk-awareness programs.
Kitchen Pulse
Workforce research and industry intelligence.
Approach
Food safety compliance is not what the document says. It is what the kitchen can prove.
01
Time on the floor, in the kitchen and in the dining room, seeing production, plating, texture modification and mealtime support as they actually happen.
Observe
02
Findings tested against IDDSI, food safety obligations and the Aged Care Quality Standards, then prioritised by risk to residents and cost to the organisation.
Diagnose
03
A clear, staged plan your team can own, with the training, templates and follow-up that make change stick after the report is filed.
Rebuild
Registrations of interest now open
Join the conversation.
The Australian Aged Care Chefs National Pulse Survey 2027 gives the people who feed older Australians in aged care kitchens a national voice.
The Australian Healthcare Chefs National Pulse Survey 2027 gives the people who feed older Australians in our healthcare sector a national voice. This will be an industry first for our hospital chefs.
Register now to take part when it opens.
About the survey
A national picture of the aged care kitchen, told by the people in it.
Who it is for
Chefs, cooks, catering managers, food service staff and hospitality leaders in residential aged care, anywhere in Australia.
The realities of the role: workload, training, recognition, resources and what it takes to deliver safe, dignified meals.
What it explores
Aged care chefs and cooks carry clinical, regulatory and hospitality responsibility every service, yet their workforce is rarely measured in its own right. The Pulse Survey sets out to change that, with findings shared back with the sector.
Confidential and online, taking around 8 - 10 minutes. Results are reported in aggregate; no individual or site is identified.
How it works
Opens 1 February 2027. Registered participants receive the link first, plus a copy of the national findings.
When
Make sure your kitchen is counted.
Leave your details and we will send you the survey link the day it opens, along with the national results when they are released. Represent a provider or industry body? Contact lindsey@culinarycaregroup.com about involving your team.
Introducing our kitchen pulse research and industry partners
The national pulse surveys are now supported by a research partnership with The University of Queensland., working alongside Dr Rebecca Packer and Dr Karly Bartrim.
The Australian Institute of Technical Chef’s committee is a proud and ongoing supporter of the Chef’s survey.
Choice Collective is a group of leading aged care food and nutrition experts sharing practical insights and solutions to enrich the aged care dining experience. The Culinary Care Group is now a proud partner.
Help strengthen the voice of Australia's chefs.
The 2027 National Pulse Surveys welcome funding and practical support from organisations committed to better understanding the people and systems behind aged care and healthcare food services.
Our focus is on independent, meaningful research, not commercial sponsorship. Financial support helps make this work possible without influencing the findings or outcomes.
Interested in supporting the research? We'd welcome a conversation about how your organisation could contribute.
Articles and insights
Read on LinkedIn
Thinking from the kitchen floor.
Independent perspectives on aged care food systems, workforce challenges, kitchen operations and the dining experience, grounded in practical industry experience.
Let’s talk about what is happening in your kitchens, dining rooms and on the residents’ tables.
Contact
Whether it is one home or a national portfolio, a short conversation is usually enough to see where the biggest gains are.
Phone 0404 207 896
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