Nathan Quinell, known as The Hurricane Chef, has overcome many obstacles in life to fulfill his dream of working as a qualified chef and this week proudly celebrates the launch of a new range of pastries at Monte Lupo Café and commercial kitchen.
Nathan is completely vision impaired, has two cochlear implants and has type 1 diabetes and he is on a mission to demonstrate to other people with disability, regardless of your ability never give up.
Driven by a busy workload, Nathan has been instrumental in self-designing many of the pastry recipes for the new pastry range which will boost production in the Banyo commercial kitchen.
Leading disability support provider, Multicap provided Nathan with meaningful work as its first qualified chef at its employment business, Monte Lupo Café at Banyo ten months ago.
The Monte Lupo Café offers barista coffees and snacks to the Banyo community and operates as a commercial kitchen supplying meals to its associated café at Eight Mile Plains.
Previously finding it challenging to find work, Nathan enjoys being a Chef in Multicap’s supportive environment that provides meaningful work for other people with disability.
“Being a chef in a place like this with other people with multiple abilities who are all understandable and caring, is great,” said Nathan.
“I gained my Training and Assessment Certificate to be able to teach people with disabilities and help us all get out there and show everyone that we can do it. A lot of people think people with disability can’t be anything – which is a load of garbage.”
“I’m proud of what I have achieved and to be an inspiration to others. If you get knocked back for something one way, try another way and never give up,” he said.
Multicap’s CEO, Andrew Hanson said that Multicap proudly offers employment pathways for people with disability which are tailored to their goals and foster an environment that allows them to shine.
“Providing employment opportunities for people with disability is vital and we’re proud that Nathan’s role not only allows him to continue living his dreams but also thankful for the delicious quality supplies to our cafes each week.”
“Seeing Nathan in action is an inspiration to everyone and a good reminder that to live our dreams, we should never give up,” Andrew said.
Since becoming a chef nearly 15 years ago, Nate has worked in cafes, fast paced kitchens, taught cooking lessons to other people, and even released a cookbook (visit https://www.thehurricanechef.com/).
Multicap works to remove the barriers to employment for people with disability and with a focus on independence and personal growth.
