Cooking with care
Tender Loving Cuisine (TLC) are celebrating five successful years of operation out of their factory in Marrickville, preparing healthy and tasty frozen meals for their clients.
The meals-on-wheels alternative began in 1995, when TLC's Chief Executive, Jack Barker, helped out a friend by arranging meals for his family, while the friend was recovering from a serious car accident. The need for a regular service of this kind was recognized, and so, with the encouragement of NSW Health, TLC was born.
The expanding company purchased their Marrickville premises in 2001, moving in under the supervision of head chef Constantine Laptev. Mr Laptev had been working late nights for years, as owner and head chef of his own restaurant. When TLC approached him, both he and his apprentice jumped at the chance to do what they loved most - cooking delicious food - during normal working hours.
From 7.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays, the chefs at TLC prepare the nutritionally designed, fresh meals, package them, and snap freeze them, ready for delivery across Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast.
With a range of 28 dinners on the TLC menu, including roasts, curries and fish, neither the chefs, nor the consumers have a chance to get bored.
"The meals are great. The people who get it every week love it. I think you would have to be very fussy to knock it back," said Gai Cridland, one of TLC's couriers.
Anyone who needs a break from having to shop and cook every night, but still wants to enjoy home-style meals, can order from TLC. And since TLC is a community service, the meals are all great value for money. Clients who find the service particularly useful are the elderly and those recovering from illness. To find out more about TLC, visit www.tlc.org.au or call 1800 801 200 and ask for a free brochure.
Copyright, Cooks River Valley Times
