Naked Chefs bring smiles to senior citizens
For the pub lunch, the chefs start preparations at 2pm on a Thursday afternoon and are back in the kitchen before 8am on a Friday to prepare lunch for their patrons.
A hearty meal, served with lashings of camaraderie and good-natured banter, is what patrons of Lyndhurst’s Naked Chefs can expect on the menu.
Under the leadership of executive chef Dugald Paterson, Inyoni Creek’s Naked Chefs have been serving lunch to 160 residents from Rand Aid retirement villages Elphin Lodge, Inyoni Creek and Tarentaal for the past five years.
The average age of the chefs is 77. The nine of them cook, serve and clear plates for their customers who each pay R25 for a two-course meal.
They also cater for the monthly pub lunches and the annual black tie Valentine’s dinner.
For the pub lunch, the chefs start preparations at 2pm on a Thursday afternoon and are back in the kitchen before 8am on a Friday to prepare lunch for their patrons.
The bar opens early and guests begin arriving at the Inyoni Creek clubhouse from mid-morning.
Meals vary between cottage pie, bobotie, fish and chips, Hungarian goulash, chicken a la king, sausages and mash, and beef stew – served with a starch, French bread, vegetables and followed by bowls of vanilla ice-cream and home-made chocolate sauce.
Those unable to get to the venue themselves have meals packed for them into takeaway containers.
Chef Neil Garden said they have become more daring with the menus and have a loyal and satisfied clientèle.
Mrs Pam Hadden, Chef Arthur’s wife said, “When they started, he could barely peel a potato, but now he knows his way around the kitchen.”
Chef Dugald Paterson said the monthly pub lunch get-together is often the only outing some residents have to look forward to.
“There are so many lonely people in the villages. Many of them have lost their spouses and their children may live far away. The Naked Chefs also invite eight people a month from neighbouring Tarentaal to be guests at their lunch table, to give these residents something special to look forward to and introduce them to their peers at Rand Aid’s other villages,” he added.
The NGO’s general manager of Services and Advance Division, Mr Zabeth Zühlsdorff, applauded the initiative and said, “It serves a most valuable purpose in terms of social interaction; bringing joy, meaning and meaningful relationships to all involved.”
