Students Rise to Great Chefs Challenge in 2023
It's been an exciting year of culinary highlights in 2023, and among them was the Great Chefs program, where commercial cookery students rose to the challenge and showcased their flair and skills.
Sous Chef Nayna Virmani, who has been mentored by Executive Chef Daniel Briggs from Chin Chin since 2016, worked with our students in delivering a sumptuous menu designed by Daniel at the long-running Great Chefs dining event, which continues to support our emerging hospitality talents.
Certificate III in Commercial Cookery student Darcy White was grateful for the opportunity. "The highlight for me was spending time with other apprentices preparing food that we had not cooked before, plus meeting chefs from industry."
The four-course menu that delighted guests comprised of:
- Appetiser - Hokkaido Scallop, burnt butter, chilli jam, crispy skin chicken
- Entreé - Pork loin, tomato nham jim, roasted eggplant, toasted rice
- Main - Turmeric curry of duck Maryland with ginger and tomato, Jasmine rice
- Dessert - Mango ice cream, coconut meringue, white rum jelly, coconut praline
The program has been a launching pad for many apprenticeships at iconic restaurants, including alumni Buddha Lo who returned as a guest chef while working at Matteo's, before achieving international celebrity chef status including becoming the first ever back-to-back champion to win Top Chef this year.
In 2023, other Great Chefs events included one led by Chef Daniel Wilson from Yakimono and another led by our very own commercial cookery student and 2019 Master Chef Thailand Max Nuntawat Chanyalikit.
The learning experience extends beyond the kitchen with hospitality students also gaining experience running the front-of-house service including wine matching, mixing cocktails and fine dining customer service. Diploma of Event Management students are also often involved with the front-of-house experience including event styling, and on this occasion Hotel Management student Jacky Poo welcomed guests.
Watch out for next year's Great Chefs program and sign up for our Restaurants Newsletter to be the first to book for our exciting culinary events.
