A FEW WORDS FROM OUR CO-OWNER AND DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Hi, I'm Naomi Frawley, Co-Owner, Managing Director and Head Chef at Country Kitchen Ballarat, here to tell you a little about the journey that let us to open our Country Kitchen store, right here in Ballarat.

Born and raised in East Gippsland, I aspired to be a Chef since I was very young. It all started at my grandparents' farm in Goongerah, where meals were special events with perfectly roasted roasts, delicious desserts, and Ma's signature scones. Just simple food cooked perfectly!

At age 17, I landed an apprenticeship with Australian Airlines (later QANTAS Flight Catering), beating 700 applicants to join just six trainees that year at their production kitchen in Melbourne,

I worked in that Kitchen with over 600 employees and 40 chefs. I learnt from and was mentored by some wonderful chefs, including executive chefs from 5-star hotels globally and even those who had cooked for the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

I spent time at Brighton Foodstore and gained other valuable experience at different venues before returning to my hometown, Bairnsdale.

In 2001, my husband Jayson and I moved to Ballarat where we have made our home and raised our daughter Layne (that’s her in some of the images on this site) whose love of musical theatre as seen her perform in a number of musicals here in Ballarat.

Jayson is a co-founder of the Bungaree Bowling Club and for the past 20 years or more, I have been the Head Chef at Piper's On The Parade, The Alexandria on Lydiard, the Ansonia and the more recently the Mercure Ballarat Hotel and Convention Centre, where we started Good 4U Meals in 2020.

Family life, community and a love for cooking are three things that I hold dear to my heart so co-founding Good 4U Meals, a business delivering fresh, ready-made meals to our customers doorstep, enabled me to bring tall those three together in a business.

Drawing on my experience at QANTAS Flight Catering, I developed menus and recipes suitable for packaging and reheating that can be delivered each week to those in the community who need care and support. We work closely with Home Care Package providers in the region to service their clients with fresh, nutritious meals.

Our Good 4U Meal’s business continues to thrive and in 2023, we moved from the Mercure to our new premises at Country Kitchen Ballarat which brings me to today, the proud Co-owner of Country Kitchens Ballarat and Good4U Meals, excited to be creating fresh, home-cooked meals for the residents of Ballarat and surrounding districts.

Hope to see you soon … either in store or out and about!