Name: Jayne Fry
Business: Local Food Links
Job title: Kitchen manager, Blandford
Website: www.localfoodlinks.org.uk
The Rising Star at Local Food Links is Jayne Fry, kitchen manager at Blandford. Jayne has worked exceptionally hard over the last 12 months and led a team that will always go the extra mile to support her.
In particular she has achieved:
- Successful implementation of universal infant free school meals in her area, which has meant doubling the numbers of school meals produced in the Blandford kitchen from approximately 500 meals a day from September 2013 to July 2014 to 1,000-plus meals a day in September 2014.
- Providing peer support to newer kitchen managers in Dorchester and Shillingstone, sharing best practise and making recommendations for improved efficiency and always being at the end of the phone.
- Interviewing for seven new posts to cover unexpected sick leave and suggesting trial days to ensure that positions were offered to candidates that best meet the needs of both the company and kitchen teams.
- Leading by example – although she is kitchen manager Jayne does not shy away from making the tea or mopping the floor. She team builds in lots of different ways, including doing a summer advent calendar (counting down the days to the end of the school year), an informal crochet club and team breakfasts.
- Enabling everyone to be the best they can by facilitating continuous professional development, eg Jayne’s general assistants make our special tomato sauce, many vegetarian meals and slice the meat.
Jayne describes herself as calm, fair and kind and we would add: loyal, hard-working and someone we want to clone!
Nominated by Suzie King, business manager at Local Food Links.
