SHINY KITCHEN – Kathy McBride (centre), chair of the cathedral's kitchen committee, chats with Linda Waugh (left) and Mary Allwood (right) from the ACW who were preparing to serve refreshments following a presentation. They appreciated the recent seasonal cleaning of the kitchen at the church hall by the “Holy Joes.”

The kitchen at the Cathedral church hall is spick and span, and the aim is to keep it that way.

A team from the Guild of St. Joseph recently tackled the greasy stove vent; cleaned the refrigerator, microwave, and two stoves including ovens; scrubbed three sinks; wiped down all the cupboard faces; washed the windows; tidied the drawers and cupboards; checked the dishwasher, and disinfected the counter tops. The freezer will be defrosted shortly.

“Our kitchen is a big, beautiful workspace which is used frequently for shared meals and preparation of light refreshments,” Kathy McBride, chair of the cathedral's kitchen committee, said. “Users are good about keeping it tidy from one event to the other, but a thorough cleaning is done three or four times a year.”

The committee, which meets monthly to ensure a clean, safe, efficient kitchen,has come up with a few tips for users to follow. For example:Always rinse your coffee cups and dishes if you don't have time to run them through the dishwasher.

• Always date and label any items that you store in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Don't leave any items uncovered in the fridge (e.g., dish of margarine, pitcher of milk, etc.)
• At the end of each event, fill out the kitchen departure checklist. It's in a sparkly pink binder in a top drawer near the serving window.

The one-page checklist offers a quick run-through of important points, such as is the dishwasher turned off, is the door locked, who is laundering the dirty dishcloths?

“As a committee, we review the entries in the binder regularly,” Kathy said. “Has someone reported that we're running low on vinyl gloves? Do we need to replace a broken teapot? Of course, anything more urgent, such as a plugged sink, should be reported to the sexton or the office at once.”

Kathy said the kitchen is usually kept tidy, but the tips have been posted on the fridge as reminders and for the benefit of occasional or external users of the facility.

“It's about common sense and pride in our kitchen,” she concluded. “We appreciate everyone helping to keep the kitchen clean and safe for all to enjoy.”

Ann Deveau