UCOL cookery students turn up the heat

UCOL cookery students turn up the heat

There is a buzz of nervous excitement in the teaching kitchens at UCOL Wairarapa as five cookery students prepare for their first ever cooking competition.

The Certificate in Professional Cookery students have been selected by their lecturer to compete in the Central Salon Culinaire in Napier on Sunday 5 May.

Each student will prepare, cook and present a hot kitchen dish to the judges within a tight time limit, and also a presentation cold, or ‘static’ dish which is prepared prior to the start of the competition.

Megan Tearle will compete in the Open Salmon and Cheese Cake categories, Casey Watson will prepare a Cheese Cake and Fruit Flan and Joseph Parata will have entries in the Open Lamb and Celebration Cake classes.

Youth Guarantee students Thomas Pepper and Cheryl-Kay Phillips will compete in the Open Lamb and Fruit Flan, and Open Beef and Cheese Cake categories, respectively.

UCOL Cookery lecturer Damian Peeti says it is important to expose the students to the hospitality industry outside the classroom, and outside the region.

Damian graduated with a cookery certificate qualification from Palmerston North UCOL’s cookery programme in 1999. “I remember my experiences as a student and how my lecturers encouraged us to enter competitions,” he says. “It was so valuable for making contacts and keeping up with industry trends.”

It is the first time UCOL students have taken part in the Hawkes Bay competition but they will be well prepared by their lecturer who has trained and managed countless teams to culinary competition success.

Damian is a qualified culinary judge and assessor, is an active member of the New Zealand Chefs Association and holds a Bachelor in Culinary Arts.

He has an impressive work history, cooking with top chefs in some of the most highly acclaimed restaurants in Hawkes Bay including Te Awa Winery Restaurant, The Gintrap Café and Bar, The Old Church and the Provedore Restaurant.

A team of three UCOL Wairarapa cookery students will also compete at the Wellington Culinary Fare on 24 May.

Dominique Waimotu, Matt Lett and Casey Watson will cook in at least two classes in the student category of the prestigious annual event.

The teams have been fundraising to cover the travel expenses by catering at local events and UCOL Graduation.

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