ME A L SHAR E
Charity chef Shane steps up to a catering curveball W hen it comes to catering, there is little Kick Start Head Chef Shane Hillard hasn’t seen. He’s worked in Michelin star restaurants, the military, cafes and ran his own business for more than 10 years. Shane said running the PAYCE Foundation-backed Kick Start is hugely rewarding but admits the outbreak of COVID-19 was a curveball he didn’t see coming. Shane Hillard says it was great to be out helping people in need.
His work life changed from supervising the Kick Start mobile food trailers across Sydney, where young trainees get on-the-job experience as part of their hospitality training, to running the Melrose Park Meal Share service. With Sydney going into a tough lockdown for the second time in 18 months, and cafe business restricted, the PAYCE Foundation and the Kick Start team again stepped up to help those in need in Melrose Park. Shane said people were quite fearful of the COVID-19 Delta variant and particularly grateful for the Meal Share service, which assists people who have lost their job, those with a disability, the elderly and isolated and struggling families. “It is fantastic to be out there making food deliveries to those who really need it,’’ Shane said during the lockdown. “The team responsible for the Meal Share service are a great group and we’re all in it for the same reason – to help the community.’’ Shane counted himself lucky to be working during the lockdown, particularly for a good cause. “I am one of the lucky ones in hospitality to have a job,’’ he said. “For those stuck at home, I think it is quite mentally debilitating in many ways.’’ Shane said the feedback from clients about the Meal Share service was overwhelmingly positive.
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