Meet Aleesha Kostyrko-Jones, chef

Story by Adrian Coysh, first featured in the Possibility newsletter.

I first met Aleesha at a CCS Disability Action Youth meeting, preparing for their bi-annual conference which is called “The Gathering – Karanga Maha – Many Voices”. The Conference is to be held at Te Papa 8/9th of March, and will include two days of workshops (one of which I am facilitating), dialogue and presentations on key issues impacting disabled people – in particular young disabled people.

Aleesha mentioned that she was working as a chef in a hotel in Whangarei, which intrigued me, as I was wondering how she was able to manage that, working from a wheelchair.

Originally born in Whangarei; at six months old her family moved to Rotorua where she lived for the next 13 years.  Aleesha was only 2? years old when she had her life changing moment.  Nobody actually saw what happened in the accident, but she and her mum had just returned from grocery shopping and she went outside to play.  Her mother came outside to hear her crying and all that she could work out was that she had slipped over on the concrete onto her back.

The only clue was a mark where her tooth had gone into her lip, but nobody could actually say what happened, as there were no witnesses.  She could not be calmed down, so her mum rang Aleesha’s nana, who was a nurse at the time, who said “give her a cuddle and a bickie and put her down for a nap”.  

Twenty minutes later she woke up screaming “my back, my back”, and nana instructed her mum to go to a nearby clinic which had x-ray capability.  However things were escalating, and her spinal cord became inflamed, and they later found there was a blood clot inside the cord, which resulted in the inflammation spreading up her back – vertebrae by vertebrae.

“It was awful for my mum”, reflects Aleesha.  With the x-rays, we were sent to Starship by helicopter, however Auckland had suffered a massive power cut just as they were about to wheel her in for a MRI scan.  Auckland Hospital was shut down, so she was rushed off by ambulance to Mercy Hospital to utilise their MRI, as they still had power.  After about twenty minutes inside the MRI they took her out, and rushed past her mother in preparation for surgery.

“It was at this point; the head surgeon was analysing my x-rays and scan, looked up at mum, and then he started taking off his gear”. Then came the news, when he said “look, I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do”.  Worse was to come when the family was informed that it was most likely that she would pass away during the night.

This clearly did not happen, and Aleesha considers herself very lucky having become T6/T7 paraplegic in a wheelchair.
Aleesha cannot remember much of her early childhood when she was transitioning into using a wheelchair, and then starting school, but reckons it must have been OK, as she supposes that she would have remembered if it had been horrid. Intermediate school, and her first year in high school was a lot harder and not enjoyable.

However, her second year of high school was a lot better, as the family had moved to Tauranga, and Aleesha went to a new school. More importantly, that school offered lessons in hospitality and cooking – she had always loved to watch her mum cook, and she liked to help.  But, a final move for the family back to Whangarei and another new school in year twelve, ended her enjoyment, as that school did not provide those subjects.  Nevertheless she was able to persevere and continue via correspondence courses.

After completing school, Aleesha wanted to pursue cooking as a career, and initially started asking friends, family, and wider networks, if they knew of any opportunities.  Her luck changed when she was receiving physiotherapy treatment, and it just happened that the physio had a partner who was head chef at the Kingsgate Hotel in Whangarei.  An interview was arranged; Aleesha was offered the job on the spot, and has now worked there since November 2014.

Some minor modifications were required, for example her work station was lowered, as was the cooking hob, but this was easily done.

Aleesha completed a 19 week course at North Tec, together with a lot of “on the job” training, which she found even more valuable, as the chef in turn was trained by a Michelin star rated chef.  Aleesha prefers hands on training rather than theoretical study, and she has a fabulous teacher and mentor to work for.

Initially, her role was in the preparation stage, where she was chopping vegetables and fruit, before being moved to making deserts and cold entrees, but has now progressed to assisting with main courses.  It is her long term goal to have her own catering business, operating from a food truck, where she would work at fairs, markets, and concerts, as well as catering for weddings and other large events.  She has already had many offers of support – even from her current boss who has offered advice and assistance when needed.

They also know of a friend who can help build a trailer, and her father is a panelbeater who can finish it off.  Even more importantly, her mother used to work in catering, and has led teams of up to 100 people, so her advice will be invaluable as she develops the business.

When Aleesha was transitioning from school to work, she was assisted by CCS Disability Action, and was assigned an advisor called Kevin Anderson who was contracted for a period of two years.  She was so impressed by the assistance that she received, and the work that CCS Disability Action were doing, that she has since joined their Youth Group as detailed earlier.  It is her intention to be available to advise and inspire other disabled children like herself, who are seeking to create a better life, by having a fulfilling career.

Aleesha is certainly looking forward to The Gathering, and will no doubt be assessing the quality of the catering!

Adrian Coysh is a strategic partner with an online talent pool JobCafe. He is working very closely with the disability community, Government and businesses, in the pursuit of diversity equality. Contact him on [email protected]