Juniper Chef Luisa Brito living out her cooking dream  

A childhood love of cooking has translated into a fulfilling career as a chef at Juniper for Luisa Brito. 

Originally from Chile, Luisa moved to Australia in the early 1980s. 

Before joining Juniper, she spent seven years working in a small kitchen in Kalgoorlie, where she completed her commercial cookery training and became a qualified chef. 

Upon relocating to Perth, Luisa was on the hunt for her next opportunity when she decided to try her luck and apply for a job in the kitchen at Juniper Rowethorpe in Bentley.  

“Then the next day, I got a call and they offered me a job,” Luisa said. 

While Luisa was a qualified chef, due to family commitments, she initially took up a position as a kitchen hand, which offered flexible working hours so she was able to drop off and pick up her youngest daughter from school.  

After two years as a kitchen hand, Luisa was offered the role of a chef, which fit in within the hours she wanted.  

More than two decades later, Luisa hasn’t looked back. 

Over the past two years, she has seen Juniper strive for excellence in dining and nutrition with its DINE (Dignity In Nutritional Excellence) program.  

“I love cooking, and I especially love cooking for the residents, it’s like cooking for ‘mum and dad’,” Luisa said. 

While Luisa has cooked a variety of meals ranging from savoury dishes to pastries and desserts, she said her favourite part of the job was baking. 

“I love to bake,” she laughed. 

“My dad was a baker. Back in Chile he used to make fruit cake in the shop, that was his business. And I used to watch him. Now I make his fruit cake for the residents here at Juniper.” 

Luisa said it’s not just the cooking that she loves in her job, but also the supportive team and flexible environment. 

“I really love working at Juniper, the staff here have always supported me,” she said. 

“They are very flexible, whenever I had had hard times, they understand and let me take the time I need.” 

A proud mother of three and grandmother of two, Luisa is thankful that her work is flexible so she can work around family commitments. 

“I work Thursday to Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday I take care of my grandson and take him to school,” she said. “I feel very lucky.” 

Interested in a career at Juniper? Check out our current opportunities here.