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.
From recommendation to the resident's table.
01
Operational reviews
Independent reviews of catering, care and mealtime services, covering kitchen operations, dining experience and the communication between them.
Catering, care and clinical
Stronger communication between kitchen, care and clinical teams, so recommendations reach the plate.
Each engagement is scoped to your sites, your people and the standards you are accountable to, whether a single home or an entire portfolio.
Gap analysis, food safety program review and practical fixes that make compliance something your kitchen can demonstrate every day.
02
Food safety and kitchen systems
03
IDDSI and texture modification
Implementation, auditing and training so modified meals are safe, correct and served with dignity, from recipe to plate.
Practical capability building, including IDDSI and Standard 6 resident mealtime experience.
Training and mentoring
04
Menu and production
Menu review, production planning and dining observation that balance nutrition, choice, budget and what your team can deliver.
Technical culinary support for manufacturers of texture-modified and aged care products.
Product development
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.
Standard 6 operational audit reviews and workforce capability training
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
The group
Consultancy, industry engagement, communication, systems improvements and product development.
Audit readiness | Training | Communication
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
Observe
Time on the floor, in the kitchen and in the dining room, seeing production, plating, texture modification and mealtime support as they actually happen.
02
Diagnose
Findings tested against IDDSI, food safety obligations and the Aged Care Quality Standards, then prioritised by risk to residents and cost to the organisation.
03
Rebuild
A clear, staged plan your team can own, with the training, templates and follow-up that make change stick after the report is filed.
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.
What it explores
The realities of the role: workload, training, recognition, resources and what it takes to deliver safe, dignified meals.
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
When
Opens 1 February 2027. Registered participants receive the link first, plus a copy of the national findings.
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.
Culinary Care Group supports the National Pulse Survey as part of its commitment to recognising aged care chefs as specialists.
The survey is now a proud research partner with The University of Queensland. Our dedicated research partners are 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.
Articles and insights
Thinking from the kitchen floor.
System
The 2026 Survey
The bottom line
For Leaders
Read on LinkedIn
Aged care food systems
For Chefs
Let’s talk about what is happening in your kitchens, dining rooms and on the residents plate.
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