Te Awamutu College Culinary Student Through To The Grand Final

Today five culinary students from the Waikato region competed for a place in the National Secondary Schools Culinary Competition (NSSCC) Grand Final. The regional final was held at Wintec.

Congratulations to Caitlyn Blakely from Te Awamutu College, regional winner for Waikato. Caitlyn turned up the heat in the kitchen, having to prepare, cook and plate, two individually plated portions of an entrée within 60 minutes. The entrée had to contain fresh New Zealand grown broccoli as the main component of the dish.

Her winning dish was; Southwest-styled broccoli, deep fried with an accompaniment of green waffles, crispy bacon and chipotle maple butter, topped with hot red peppers, fresh spring onion and a light maple drizzle. Judges’ comments included, ‘Very well organised and presented dish. Very good demonstration of a variety of techniques and processes. Dish had a very good balance of flavours and seasoning with several complimentary elements’.

The culinary students representing their schools were: Alex Timmo from Waikato Diocesan School for Girls; Caleb Hassman from Rotorua Senior High School; Cristina Fransham from Waihi College; and Caitlyn Blakely and Hadlee Collett from Te Awamutu College. The judges’ comments for every competitor included ‘all students had outstanding personal presentation and organisation.’

Each regional winner will choose a team mate and compete in the NSSCC Grand Final against seven other regional teams on 8th September in Auckland.

The competition is proudly sponsored by 5+ A Day, Bidfood, Moffat, Service IQ, Southern Hospitality, Waitoa Chicken, and Vegetables.co.nz, all of whom are supporting the industry's upcoming best student chefs.

NSSCC is organised annually by the Culinary Arts Development Trust (CADT), a non-profit charitable trust formed in January 2015.

The CADT promotes culinary arts in New Zealand as a career option for those interested in developing their professional experience through culinary competitions. Working with sponsors, local councils, government bodies and communities, the CADT encourages, fosters and oversees New Zealand culinary talent, and the creation of relationships within the industry, with an overall focus on healthy eating.

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