Our Leadership Team

Andrea Ruff – Community Coordinator Victoria & Tasmania

For Andrea, volunteering with The Lasagne Community isn’t just about sharing her love for cooking and baking—it’s a hands-on way to teach her son some vital life lessons. It provides the perfect opportunity to teach her son the importance of helping others, the power of empathy, and learning some essential cooking skills along the way.

Every lasagne she bakes is full of love, warmth, and a reminder that a good home-cooked meal can make anyone’s day a little brighter.

Belinda (Bel) Barrett – Community Coordinator Queensland 

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind” sums up Bel’s outlook on life. You never know what someone is going through, and a little kindness can go a long way.

Inspired by her dad, a chef who’s always cooking, baking and sharing food with anyone he meets, she loves being able to offer that same care to others.

Life with her husband and four children is busy, with plenty of sport, music and lots of laughs. Between cheering from the sidelines and volunteering at the school canteen, Bel loves finding ways to help her community. Sharing home-cooked meals through The Lasagne Co felt like a natural fit, especially knowing how much her own family loves her lasagne (the béchamel gets rave reviews!). For Bel, it’s a simple way to ease someone’s load and remind them that someone cares.

Alicia Beames – Community Coordinator South Australia

If there’s one thing Alicia knows, it’s feeding a crowd! With eight young adults in the family, a partner, a much loved, spoilt dog and a passion for the car community, life is never short of noise, laughter or hungry mouths!

When she’s not enjoying family time or getting involved in the car scene, you’ll find Alicia rolling up her sleeves and cooking up a storm for The Lasagne Co. She’s passionate about spreading kindness, filling bellies and reminding people that a simple meal can make a big difference. She’s a firm believer that lasagne fixes just about anything…..and if it doesn’t, there’s always room for seconds!

Michaella Rogers – Community Coordinator Western Australia

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I LOVE food! And coming from a European family, I think it’s fair to say that food is practically a love language in our household.  In fact, I’m not sure we’ve ever had a family gathering where food wasn’t the main event!

Cooking, sharing meals and making sure nobody leaves the table hungry are very much part of our family DNA. And when there’s an opportunity to get involved in something food related, you can guarantee that whole family will be rolling up their sleeves (although there may be a little debate about whose recipe is best!).

Joining The Lasagne Community team just felt like a natural fit.  I absolutely love the idea that something as simple as a home cooked lasagne can make someone’s day a little easier, bring comfort during a difficult time and remind them that people care.

For me, it’s about so much more than pasta, sauce and cheese.  It’s about kindness, community, connection and that wonderful feeling of knowing someone had gone to the trouble of making you a meal.

Michelle Pavey – Community Coordinator Australia, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory & Northern Territory

Michelle firmly believes that most of life’s problems can be made a little better with a good lasagne.

She has been sharing her love through lasagne since she was about 14 years old, happily supplying family and friends with comforting home-cooked meals whenever they needed them. In fact, lasagne was the very first meal she cooked for her now husband, Brendon! It must have been OK, he’s stuck around for 14 years.

As a volunteer with The Lasagne Community, Michelle loves helping deliver comfort, kindness, and connection to people going through challenging times. When she’s not cooking up lasagnes, you’ll usually find her spending time with her loyal Labrador, Jerry, who is always nearby in the hope of a dropped snack, or a cheese shower!