The 2026 Hospitality in Healthcare (HIH) National Conference in Hobart brought together some wonderful people, ideas and innovations from across hospital, healthcare and aged care hospitality.
I had the privilege of presenting findings from my Australian Aged Care Kitchen Pulse Survey and joining the Choice Collective panel to discuss Standard 6, hospitality and resident choice.
During that panel, someone asked a question I found surprisingly difficult to answer: how do we support more chefs to attend conferences like this?
It’s a fair question, particularly when we consider the ongoing conversations about workforce shortages, professional development and attracting the next generation of healthcare chefs.
The opportunities beyond our kitchens
Looking back at the program, I was struck by the amount of practical knowledge available to the very people working in our hospital and aged care kitchens every day.
One presentation that particularly caught my attention was the Listeria risk management masterclass delivered by Gary Kennedy and Cheryl Hughes.
The session explored real hospital kitchen outbreaks and food recalls, how Listeria can establish itself in commercial kitchens, environmental monitoring and swabbing techniques, and what to do when contamination is detected. Participants even had the opportunity to undertake practical swabbing exercises.
That’s valuable knowledge for anyone responsible for preparing food for vulnerable patients and residents, and exactly the type of specialist learning I’d love more of our chefs to experience.
Across the conference, there were also presentations on allergen management, texture-modified foods, menu development, foodservice technology, sustainability, workforce capability and the dining experience.
And we shouldn’t overlook the trade exhibition.
The suppliers, exhibitors and sponsors brought enormous value through product demonstrations, equipment innovations, technical advice and conversations about the challenges facing our industry.
Having the opportunity to speak directly with the people developing our equipment, food products and systems can be just as educational as attending a formal presentation. It’s also where professional relationships are built, ideas exchanged and sometimes solutions found to problems we’ve been dealing with for years.
Recognition and professional development
HIH does an incredible job at recognising our culinary professionals through initiatives such as the Culinary Competition and Texture Modified Food Awards. These competitions celebrate the technical skills, creativity and talent within healthcare hospitality, and I’d love to see those opportunities continue to grow.
But I also believe we need to give more attention to supporting chefs who simply want to attend, learn and connect with their industry. Because not every chef needs to compete or present at a conference or summit to benefit from being there.
I understand the challenges. Registration, travel, accommodation and covering shifts all cost money, particularly for smaller services and regional facilities where staffing is already stretched. But professional development needs to be more than an occasional training session or another certificate added to a personnel file.
Are we building conference attendance and industry engagement into our professional development budgets? Are we identifying emerging talent and giving those people opportunities to develop beyond their current roles?
There’s also an opportunity for providers, industry associations, suppliers and sponsors to explore scholarships, supported attendance and other initiatives that help frontline hospitality professionals participate.
Bringing the knowledge home
The real value of attending a conference doesn’t end when everyone heads home.
A chef who returns with new food safety knowledge, a better understanding of available technology, fresh menu ideas or stronger professional connections brings those opportunities back to their workplace.
When we encourage them to share that knowledge with colleagues, the benefits extend well beyond the individual who attended.
I came away from Hobart with valuable connections, new perspectives, deep discussions and plenty to think about. I’d love to see more hospital and aged care chefs have that same experience.
The HIH organisers, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors and volunteers deserve enormous credit for putting together such a valuable event.
My reflection isn’t about what was missing from the conference, but who may have missed the opportunity to experience it.
We regularly discuss recruitment, retention and the future of our healthcare hospitality workforce. I believe supporting our chefs to participate in industry education, professional networks and leadership conversations needs to become part of that discussion.
After all, if we want our chefs to help shape the future of healthcare foodservice, we need to give them opportunities to be part of it.
