A recipe for success

Rattana Khongmungkha spent many years teaching herself the art of cooking for her family and friends. It never occurred to her that one day she might do it professionally. Now, four years after joining Edgewater Village as a kitchen hand, she's a fully qualified chef.

"I’ve always loved cooking. All kinds of dishes — I’ll try everything!" she laughs.

Growing up in Thailand, Rattana learned to cook the traditional way: at home with family, learning recipes passed from one generation to the next and surrounded by the aromas of fresh ingredients and herbs – garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli.

When she came to New Zealand 25 years ago, she added a whole new repertoire to her culinary skills learning from her new Kiwi mother-in-law. She’s now perfected the art of roast dinners, fish and chips and puddings with custard.

Her career path at Metlifecare has been a determined but steady climb: kitchen hand to café assistant, then cook, and now chef – with a formal qualification earned through a full year of monthly assessments combining written theory and hands-on practical work.

Rattana’s Kitchen Manager and assessor, Shonal Kumar, has supported her throughout her culinary journey.

"I always believed she could do it," says Shonal. “She's incredibly motivated. Some months she would be assessed on 15 different dishes, and she would come in on her weekends to complete them. Even on her days off she's always sending me fresh ideas for what we should create next!”

Rattana's special dishes are an absolutely hit with her Edgewater residents – fresh sushi rolls, dumplings and fragrant fried noodles are regular items the village menu.

When Rattana received her qualification, the Edgewater team put on a fitting celebration with colleagues and residents invited to show their support and congratulations.

"They're like my family," she smiles.