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“I am a firm believer that catering can help improve the quality of life of our residents at Casa Antonia, and especially so in these challenging times. Every day, this guiding approach is what drives me and my team to create not only those special menus for every distinct occasion throughout a year, but also the menus for lunches and dinners that we prepare on a daily basis,” said Head Chef Glenn Bartolo.

Casa Antonia has just launched the Winter 2020 menu: a veritable presentation of natural colours, designs, aromas and tastes. Apart from providing the right nutrition, each dish pleases the eyes the moment these appetising items are served at table in the large dining hall, while respecting all the current health protocols.

A professional chef with 21 years of experience, Head Chef Bartolo has just been appointed as the new Head Chef at Casa Antonia Nursing and Residential Home in Balzan. After graduating from the Institute for Tourism Studies, he spent the initial years of his career working in different leading hotels in Malta, More recently, he obtained a Master Chef diploma from the University of Malta, following a two-year course. During his career, he won 12 gold medals in culinary food competitions.

Certainly, for many elderly residents in care homes, mealtimes are often the highlights of their day, more so nowadays. “Equally important is the fact that food nutrition plays an important part in maintaining our residents’ immunity and good health, as well as in the recovery of post-operation patients who stay with us as temporary residents,” explained Dr Sarah Cassar, general manager at Casa Antonia.

Furthermore, Casa Antonia believes that mealtimes play an important part in sustaining an open, positive, inclusive and friendly atmosphere as this forms an integral part of the home’s ethos. As it invests more in personalised care, the home wants to maintain and even raise higher the standards of its catering offerings. The realities of the pandemic with residents receiving visitors only by appointment, from behind a perspex screen, and being prohibited from leaving the home except for urgent medical appointments, mealtimes have, understandably, increased further in importance.

“Our residents can expect to have excellent, home-made and nutritious food – always prepared fresh at Casa Antonia’s kitchen – food that they genuinely enjoy, and which is beautifully served. That’s our daily goal,” says Head Chef Bartolo. “We also cater to individual likes and dislikes: it is of course a somewhat complicated process but we do provide a choice to always please them,” he says.

Head Chef Bartolo adds: “Of course, as part of our menu planning, we cater to special diets and also respect their religious sensitivities in terms of food on particular days of the year.”