Frost Manor NCM says working in LTC has added meaning to his culinary career

‘I wanted something a little more meaningful and more fulfilling,’ says Jeff Nedeljkovic

After 20 years of working in the kitchens of restaurants and resorts, Jeff Nedeljkovic says he was looking to shift gears with his career and move into a position that offered more meaning.

He says he found that at OMNI Health Care, working first as a cook at Riverview Manor in Peterborough, and three and a half years later working at Frost Manor in Lindsay, where he has been nutritional care manager (NCM) for the past five months.

“I’ve enjoyed it a lot,” Jeff says of being the Frost Manor NCM. “I like the team here at Frost; it’s a smaller home, it has a homey feel to it.”

Jeff says he has had a passion for cooking his entire life, but after years of cooking and managing restaurants he needed something different, and that’s when he discovered cooking in long-term care homes.

“I wanted something a little more meaningful and more fulfilling,” he says. “When I started at Riverview, it gave me that opportunity, and I enjoyed it a lot more than cooking in restaurants.”

Being served high-quality meals is important to people living in long-term care homes. Jeff says focusing his talents on creating meals residents enjoy adds substance to his work and has provided his career with the meaning he wanted.

Jeff says having a career with OMNI has also been a plus for him. He says he has received constant support from Frost Manor administrator Neil MacDonald, and Chris Weber, OMNI’s operations manager of nutrition and food services, since becoming Frost Manor’s NCM.

“The reason that I wanted to stick with OMNI is because of the support I have gotten in the past,” Jeff says. “(This support) has had a huge impact on why I am here.”

Jeff says working as Frost Manor’s NCM has been a learning experience. Looking ahead, he says he plans to continue learning the ropes of the NCM position and deliver the highest quality food service to residents.

“My main thing is I always want to be the best at what I do,” he says.

If you have a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please contact the newsroom at deron(at)axiomnews.com.