MITS Kitchen
Nourishing Our Students, Every Day: Meet the MITS Kitchen Team
Behind every busy school day, sporting achievement, homework session and boarding house activity is something essential: good food. At MITS, the Kitchen Team plays a vital role in helping students thrive by ensuring they have access to nutritious, fresh and balanced meals every day.
Led by Kitchen Manager Maree (and Kat!) and supported by a dedicated team, the kitchen is a space where students are welcomed, cared for and nourished. The team works hard to provide food that supports students' health, wellbeing and learning while living away from home in Melbourne.
Kat says one of the things she values most about being part of MITS is the strong culture and shared commitment to students. Through food, the team aims to help students feel cared for and connected, bringing a little bit of home into their daily lives.
A Day in the MITS Kitchen
The kitchen starts early each morning with deliveries to the boarding houses, including fresh milk, bread and fruit so that students can make their own breakfasts and lunches for school.
From there, the team prepares dinner for students across the MITS community. Meals are cooked fresh each day, with the team also baking muffins, cakes and other treats to enjoy throughout the week.
Lunches typically include a balance of salads, bread and protein options, while snacks such as fruit, yoghurt, eggs and toast are available to keep students fuelled between meals.
The kitchen team carefully plans menus to ensure students are receiving the nutrients they need to stay healthy, active and focused at school and work within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating.
Bringing Culture to the Table
Food is an important way of celebrating culture and creating a sense of belonging.
The kitchen team regularly incorporates students' favourite foods and cultural influences into the menu. Popular meals include barramundi teriyaki, pasta, chicken wings and steaks, while other dishes such as sausage curry, roast vegetables, rice and lamb dishes also feature.
The team enjoys learning about the foods students love from home and finding ways to include familiar flavours and ingredients in the meals they prepare.
Fun Facts from the Kitchen
Did you know?
- The kitchen team delivers fresh food to all boarding houses every morning.
- Around 126 litres of milk are used each week.
- Students enjoy a wide variety of fresh fruit, including apples, mandarins and seasonal fruit.
- One of the most popular meals with students is Barramundi Teriyaki.
Student Chef Program
One of the most exciting opportunities in the kitchen is the Student Chef Program.
Each term, a boarding house works with the kitchen team to plan and cook a special Saturday night meal. Students choose a recipe, help purchase ingredients and then work alongside the kitchen team to prepare the meal.
Menus have included favourites such as sausage curry, steak roasts, pasta dishes, burgers and tacos. Students are encouraged to create a balanced meal featuring carbohydrates, protein, vegetables or salad, and dessert.
Working in small groups, students learn practical cooking skills, gain confidence in the kitchen and have the opportunity to share recipes and flavours from home with their peers. The program gives students a greater understanding of how the kitchen operates while celebrating their ideas and creativity.
