Catering Champion – Jo

Today we are focussing on another of our Catering Champions. Jo has been with TLC for almost eight years.

Prior to joining TLC, Jo worked with dementia patients in a Care Home. With TLC, she started as a General Catering Assistant at Heaton School – where she stayed for close to five years.

After her time at Heaton School, Jo took up a role as a mobile cook and from there acted as a fill in cook at St Elisabeths in Reddish. The team there made her feel very welcome and encouraged her to go for the role full time (she hadn’t felt ready for it previously).

We’re pleased to say that Jo has now been Cook in Charge at St Elisabeth’s for nearly two years.

And that’s not all – Jo is now also helping to support one of our new cooks – Michelle at Mersey Vale.

Michelle spent time with Jo – shadowing her at first – looking at everything from how her kitchen is opened up each morning to how she gets the numbers of pupils eating that day (and what they have ordered) and weighing the food.

As part of this process – Jo puts safety first and checks that any pupils with allergies haven’t ordered anything they can’t have. She emphasises the importance of double-checking everything and of understanding the ingredients.

Jo’s mentoring then focussed on inputting daily information for that day and going through the ordering process and costings. Planning is really crucial – not just in terms of ordering, but also working out timings to ensure all the food is ready for lunchtime. Being a cook is much more than the actual cooking!

Following the on-site mentoring, Jo offered ongoing support – to ensure Michelle was comfy with everything.

It is so positive to see Jo’s progression at TLC, from GA to Mobile Cook to now having her own kitchen. And there is more fantastic news to share – after February half-term Jo will be taking up a new position with TLC Catering as a Team Leader. Huge congratulations Jo.

We’re proud of all our teams – including all those who works in our schools – and the fantastic work they do.

We’re looking for more people like Jo to join our Catering team. If you’d like to know more about cooking or assisting in one of our school kitchens – please call Jayne on 07800 618586 or email our recruitment team: recruitment@totallylocalcompany.co.uk