There is a particular type of honesty that comes with cooking for young children, but for chef Phoebe To, that honesty is what makes her role so rewarding.

Phoebe works at AnglicareSA’s Daphne Street Childcare Centre, cooking for a variety of taste buds in our mainstream childcare program or Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC).

It is no mean feat; on any given weekday, Phoebe could be cooking for as many as 60 children.

That is 180 meals, when you factor in the morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea she prepares every weekday.

So what is on the menu?

“For morning tea, I usually make a fruit plate and sandwiches,” Phoebe said.

“After that, I am preparing lunch. The children love meals like chicken curry or Hainanese chicken, which is a dish with onion and soy sauce.

“For afternoon tea, I might make a cake or yogurt.”

 

 

Phoebe said the main difference between cooking for children compared to adults was portion size and nutritional requirements.

“I focus more on balancing ingredients and trying to incorporate more vegetables and variety in the food, so young children can develop their healthy eating habits,” she said.

“It is also really important that we meet and go beyond Australia’s National Quality Framework for nutrition in early childhood care to meet every child’s nutrient intake.

“Daphne Street is also a nut-free and egg-free centre, so I make sure the food I am preparing does not have these ingredients.”

After working in the hospitality industry cooking for adults for several years, Phoebe said that one of the main reasons she transitioned to cooking in the early education and care sector was to spend more time with her son.

“My son attends Daphne Street, so being the chef here allows me to spend more time with him,” she said.

“Having a child the same age as those I cook for has also helped me identify and create meals that little people love to eat.”

Phoebe said that she found her role and contributing to children’s development through nutrition rewarding.

“When the older children tell me the food I made for them was yummy, or that they want more, really makes my day and reminds me of how meaningful the work that I do every day is.

“I want to make the things that they love.”

 

Vacancies available at Daphne Street Childcare

From January 2027, the Daphne Street Childcare and Early Learning Centre will become a Flying Start partner, delivering South Australia’s new teacher-led, play-based three-year-old preschool program.

Interested families can tour the centre and view our early learning programs in action by contacting daphneadmin@anglicaresa.com.au or phoning 8269 8688.