Adrian Silaghi

Adrian began working in the catering industry in 2010 and first joined Nellsar as Head Chef for Princess Christian Care Home in 2015. Now as Head of Catering Services, Adrian leads by example and shares his passion for care catering across our 13 Homes. Adrian cites empathy as one of the most important qualities to have to be a successful Chef in the care industry, and his creativity and drive make him a very inspiring leader. Adrian constantly strives to raise the standards of Nellsar’s catering provision including what we offer residents with special dietary requirements, and he is renowned for his skills in soft and puréed food presentation.

Alex Popa-Barth

Alex Popa-Barth joined the Abbotsleigh team in 2017; first as a Healthcare Assistant, progressing to Kitchen Assistant shortly after. With a passion for catering and the drive to develop his knowledge and skills, Alex was soon promoted to Head Chef. Striving to make a positive difference to the lives of Abbotsleigh residents through cooking, Alex listens to their preferences and incorporates them into the menus. Alex leads his Kitchen Team by example, always supporting and encouraging them to put forward their ideas. The quality of food presentation and service is extremely important to Alex and he was very proud to be shortlisted in the 2020 Great British Care Awards.

Sanoj George

Appointed Head Chef in March 2021, Chef Sanoj first joined Bromley Park in September 2018. A superb Chef with an individualised style, Chef Sanoj creates broad menus and nourishing meals for his residents. Chef Sanoj specialises in hot and cold Continental, Oriental and Asian cuisine, including healthier options. Chef Sanoj has over 15 years’ extensive industry experience and is very driven. Progressive in his work, Chef Sanoj consistently supports and develops his team. With incredible attention to detail, he and the Kitchen Team go above and beyond, always striving to develop the catering standards and food service for their residents.

Kay Smith

Kay joined the team at Hengist Field Care Home in 2011 and her journey is one of real inspiration. Beginning as a Care Assistant, Kay progressed to a Senior Carer and then Kitchen Assistant; after two years’ training she became the Head Chef and Kitchen Manager in 2018. Working alongside Adrian Silaghi, Kay is concentrating on developing her staff in order to maintain their superior catering provision. Passionate about developing menus tailored to suit her residents’ clinical needs and personal likes and dislikes, Kay also loves to enhance their dining experience – whether that be with calm, social dining or eating alone in the privacy of their own room.

Miguel Silva

Originally from Portugal, Miguel came to the UK in 2016 and began working at Hengist Field as a Kitchen Assistant in 2019. As part of our continual staff development programme, Miguel embarked on a Nellsar Chef apprenticeship; under the tutorage of Head Chef Kay Smith, Miguel looks forward to qualifying and working as a main Chef for the Home. With a calm personality, Miguel is very reliable and offers great all-round support to the Kitchen team. Head Chef Kay encourages and supervises Miguel to cook for a minimum of one day per week, and he recently trained in Kitchen admin to help with internal operations and ordering from suppliers.

Paul Bish

Paul joined the team at Loose Valley Care Home as Head Chef in May 2022. with a wealth of catering experience. Having worked in commercial kitchens within pubs, restaurants and hotels throughout his career, Paul also has previous care catering experience having worked in Care Homes. Paul’s great passion is supporting his team and cooking tasty, nutritious food for his residents – especially Chinese food!

Cosmin Cristea

Chef Cosmin began working at Princess Christian in 2015, and his inimitable motivation drives him to consistently develop himself both personally and professionally. Originally from Romania, Cosmin also speaks English and Spanish. He began working under the expert tuition of Adrian Silaghi (Head of Catering Services) before being promoted to Head Chef. He is responsible for maintaining the highest standards of food service, leading and nurturing a team of Kitchen staff, while ensuring residents are content and enjoying a nutritious, varied diet. Cosmin is studying Management and Leadership; his hard-working nature and strong desire to learn and progress are what makes him such as asset to our team.

Cristian Pitic

Since joining the Princess Christian Kitchen Team in 2018 as a Kitchen Porter with no previous catering experience, Cristian achieved a Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Nutrition and Health and was promoted to Kitchen Assistant. After progressing to Chef Assistant, Cristian enrolled on a Production Chef NVQ course in 2019 and became a qualified Chef in March 2021. A keen gym-goer, Cristian is very disciplined and driven; his ambition to develop his skills and his perfectionist nature make him an outstanding team member. Cristian is a great support to Head Chef Cosmin Cristea and he works on residents’ individual menu plans, along with our Dining Room Assistants.

Daloney Carlton

Daloney is a highly valued senior staff member who joined the Home in 2014. First working as a Carer and then a Senior Carer, Daloney has worked within the Catering team as a Dining Room Assistant since 2018. Extremely passionate about caring for our residents, Daloney goes above and beyond while also supporting them on visits to the Hairdresser or hospital, or for any personal errands. Daloney is dedicated to improving our catering provision across the board; she personally manages our residents’ individual menu plans to ensure we cover all their nutritional, cultural and clinical needs, tailored to suit their preferences. Daloney is very proud of her children and granddaughter, and her daughter also works within the Home.

Andrew Maclean

Andrew joined St Winifreds as their Head Chef in November 2020. Having started his career washing up in university campus kitchen in the early 90s, he passed a college course and became an Apprentice Chef. Andrew was once a Tapas Bar Chef, a Canapé Chef, and while working in corporate and private event catering, he cooked for Princess Margaret and Desmond Tutu. Adding a touch of finesse to the plate, he thinks food and dining should be fun and exciting as well as tasty and nutritious; Andrew believes mealtimes are the focal point of each day and he is passionate about showing his kitchen team how to pack flavour into each dish.

John Whelan

John is a team player and an inspirational leader to the Catering Team at The Old Downs. With previous Care Catering experience, John joined the Home in October 2021, bringing a passion for cooking colourful, appetising meals for his residents. John is also developing the Home’s offering of modified food textures and menus for people with special diets. Placing great emphasis on excellent food service, John looks forward to mentoring and teaching the younger members of staff.

Sebastian Dumitru

Originally from Romania, Sebastian joined the team at Woodstock Residential Care Home in May 2022 with five years’ experience – previously working in Italy. Sebastian is ambitious and keen to continually develop his skills, while making a positive difference to his residents’ lives, and he looks forward to mentoring the Junior Chefs at Woodstock. As Head Chef, Sebastian is adept at cooking all types of food and he loves a challenge; Prawn Linguine is his signature dish!