Our Team

Our catering team combines over 40 years of hospitality and business expertise to help you create the perfect menu for every event.

Head Chef Abbey has an impressive CV, with experience in several prestigious establishments in and surrounding Sydney, and is proud to have worked at the NSW RAAF base in Williamtown. She has collaborated with some of the world’s most prominent chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Cameron Matthews and Matt Moran.

Since joining HW Catering, Abbey has shared her passion for vegan and vegetarian cooking with our trainee cooks, and together they have created tantalising new menu items.

When Abbey first heard about the values and purpose of House of Welcome, she was immediately inspired. She continues to enjoy being part of the team and sharing her culinary knowledge, and is excited to help our clients build a future in hospitality.

Chef de Partie John is our new Chef de Partie appointment. He joined the team in April 2024. He holds a Certificate III in Commercial Cooking and has a current RSA Licence. The opportunity to work at HW Catering was very appealing to him as he immediately connected to the purpose of our work.

His background spans many years chef experience, and in his spare time runs his own business.

Our Current Trainee Cooks continue to excel in the kitchen. The most recent appointments were in April 2024, completing 5 trainees for the year. They are both already well on the way to learning new skills in commercial cooking, under the expertise of Abbey.

During training, they learn how to prepare food in a commercial kitchen environment, and learn about food service through the opportunity to engage with customers and share their knowledge of our menu. During the training process they receive extensive mentoring from our Head Chef.

Every trainee enters our kitchen with much enthusiasm and little experience beyond cooking for their families at home. On exiting the program, they will receive a Food Health & Safety Certificate, and a personal reference presenting their newly attained culinary skills.

Our Supporters

To everyone who has placed an order with us, thank you for choosing this catering service. Your support makes a significant difference to the lives of refugees and people seeking asylum living in Australia.

We are particularly grateful to Cumberland Council and City of Parramatta for providing the funds to help us build a dedicated commercial kitchen, where our trainee chefs can acquire professional skills and experience that will foster their journey to independence and self-determination.

We have been touched by the number of people in the community who have embraced HW Catering by providing donations to support our activities, or booking us for regular events.

Our trainee chefs have the opportunity to gain a Certificate III in Hospitality, thanks to PAYCE Foundation. Through its partnership with House of Welcome, PAYCE supports many of the employment pathways available to our clients, and we deeply appreciate its ongoing support.