Look out for the NCIE Catering van around Redfern!
NCIE Kitchen has been feeding accommodation and conference visitors on site since the NCIE opened in 2010. Not only does the kitchen serve delicious and healthy food to our visitors, we now offer external catering, and the response has been fantastic.
In June 2018, we commenced deliveries in our own catering delivery van with the wrap design by Kristina McKinlay.
During this year’s National Reconciliation Week, corporate, government and community organisations ordered up big on NCIE’s Indigenous-inspired food. The chefs estimate that more than 600 muffins and 400 wattleseed scones went out during that week alone. In the whole month of May, almost 14,000 people ate delicious NCIE catering!
It’s about more than the food
Satisfaction and business are through the roof but at the NCIE Kitchen it’s not just about food, it’s also about sharing culture through Indigenous-inspired food and ingredients. Advised by Aboriginal Elder, hospitality mentor and restauranteur, Aunty Beryl Van Oploo, the kitchen has been using ingredients such as lemon myrtle, kangaroo, wattleseed, warrigal greens and many more.
We also use the kitchen and our onsite and offsite catering to help build skills and employment opportunities for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially graduates of our Job Ready program, such as Leanne Aldridge, who is one of the 44 Job Ready students NCIE trains, mentors and supports in employment each year.
Leanne says that when she joined the Job Ready program she was at one of the lowest points of her life and suffering from extremely low self esteem. She formed a close bond with Aunty Beryl who became her mentor and role model. Today, Leanne is a Duty Manager at the NCIE Kitchen, has housing, secure employment, and a new confidence and outlook on life.
“After completing the Job Ready program I did a catering job at the Opera House with Aunty Beryl. Once I’d proven myself on jobs like that I was offered Kitchenhand work at NCIE” says Leanne.
“The NCIE kitchen is very different, it has a family environment, it doesn’t matter what’s going on in the outside, you come here and it’s safe, you walk through the gates and I want to work. I’m proud to be at the NCIE, I wake up in the morning and love coming to work.
“I now have very good time management skills, I’ve got leadership skills that people in the community are now starting to look up to, I’ve got young people looking at me like a role model, I’ve got goals, I want to go places.”
Order NCIE Catering
All NCIE Kitchen catering orders over $300 within 5km of Redfern are delivered free of charge. Orders under $300 or between 5km and 10km of Redfern incur a delivery fee of $29.95. Other orders are evaluated and charged on a case-by-case scenario. You can also pick up your food from our site in Redfern.
View the Catering Menu here or phone 02 9046 7800 to find out more about NCIE Catering.