On Tuesday 27th February, Costa Mushrooms held an employee engagement day to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Mernda team. Miguel Maestre, energetic Celebrity Chef & Australian Mushroom Ambassador entertained staff demonstrating how to create his famous Mushroom “Alla Maestre” Paella dish with help from volunteers from the crowd.
In keeping with the Spanish theme, we had Simply Spanish, award winning local Paella company on-site serving delicious vegetarian and seafood paella in their impressive 2 metre Paella Pan. Delicious churros with fresh strawberries and luscious dipping chocolate were “a treat” also enjoyed by all!
In addition, multiple prize raffles with hampers and personally autographed Miguel’s Tapas cookbooks were won by employees on the day. Costa produce bags containing fresh Costa Produce were given to all employees on the day.
This event was a fantastic opportunity to engage almost 500 employees who grow, harvest, pack and distribute Fresh Costa Mushrooms 365 days a year. It was a novel way to reward and celebrate our people. Miguel’s personal stories explained his love for food and cooking. He showed empathy with his audience when he spoke of arriving in Australia 17 years ago with no money and little English. Considering our culturally diverse work force , Miguel was able to reach everyone with his energy and positivity. It was great to hear him speak about the importance of getting fresh ingredients into people’s meals and how easy it is to achieve!
