HEALTHY COOKING: Mitchel Brooke a client of Northcott Disabilty Services and Quality Hotel Powerhouse head chef Ben Davies showing off the food they cooked together. Photo: Barry Smith 040912BSA02
CLIENTS from Northcott Disability Services were treated to a cooking spectacular by Tamworth’s own celebrity chef Ben Davies.
The clients all cooked up a folate-rich feast with The Quality Hotel Powerhouse executive chef who is a frequent visitor to Northcott’s Community Participation (CP) Program, which is modelled around choice and empowers people with disabilities to achieve their goals and learn a variety of life skills, such as cooking.
The special pasta lunch and dessert that followed were all cooked as part of Spina Bifida Awareness Week and all the food provided was donated by the hotel.
Ruth Loseby, individual and family support co-ordinator at Northcott in Tamworth, said it was a great way for clients to learn about the importance of having folate in their diets.
Spina Bifida occurs when the spinal cord fails to complete its development in the early weeks of pregnancy.
People with spina bifida are affected in a variety of ways which include difficulty walking, bowel and bladder problems and hydrocephalus – a build-up of spinal fluid in the brain which can affect memory and learning abilities.
There is no cure for it but up to 70 per cent of cases can be prevented by increasing the intake of B-vitamin folic acid at least one month before conception and during the first three months of pregnancy.
Northcott Disability services is the leading organisation in NSW and is involved in the running of Spina Bifida Awareness Week.