Wodonga TAFE Commercial Cookery apprentices qualify for AUS-TAFE state finals

Thursday, 23 June 2022

Wodonga TAFE Commercial Cookery apprentices cooked up a banquet of dishes last week, with two First-Year apprentice chefs winning a place at the State finals of the AUS-TAFE Culinary Trophy.

Tayah Jack (employed by Bright Brewery) and Maddison Schloss (employed by Brown Brothers Winery) won bronze medals for their dishes and will participate in the State finals to be held at Bendigo TAFE on 28 June.

The apprentices’ winning dishes were:

• (Maddison) Pan-fried pork scotch with potato rosti, orange and rocket salad and dill yoghurt.
• (Tayah) Chinese-style pork San Choy Bau with julienned cucumber and carrot and chilli.

The apprentices were just two of 18 competitors in the regional finals held at Wodonga TAFE. Students completing Certificate III in Commercial Cookery plated and presented their choices to judges from industry, with Mr Dee Healey, General Manager at The Albury Club, and Commercial Cookery professionals and teachers at Wodonga TAFE, Mr Cody May and Ms Krystal Baird, awarding the competition points.  

The apprentices are employed in industry across the region, with Star Hotel Yackandandah, Church Street Hotel, Birallee Tavern, Wodonga Golf Club, D’Amicos Italian Restaurant, Posh Plonk, ESS, The Goods Shed, and Edwards Tavern just a few of the employers represented.

The dishes had to be served within set time constraints, and were judged on creativity, hygiene, presentation, cooking skills, and taste.

Wodonga TAFE Cookery teacher, Mr Cody May, said the AUS-TAFE finals are always a great opportunity for the students to test and showcase their skills. “Our apprentices and students come together to test their ability to perform in a high-pressure environment while demonstrating their expertise. The AUS-TAFE competitions also give them access to fantastic networking opportunities, as well as providing them with additional exposure to industry expectations.”