The Weekend Post

Kitchen calls those with creative tastes

- ALICIA NALLY alicia.nally@news.com.au

CHEF Cloe Buckley gives credit to a family history of cooks for imbuing her with a passion for the creative and highly stressful career.

At just 23, she is beginning to make a name for herself in the competitiv­e culinary world after taking out two competitio­ns this year.

The Pullman Cairns Internatio­nal chef will head to Japan next month to work in one of Iron Chef Sakai’s worldclass kitchens.

Ms Buckley started a TAFE course in hospitalit­y when she was 15.

Her grandfathe­r was a chef in the army, her grandmothe­r loved baking and both parents also share in the delight of preparing a meal.

Ms Buckley said the innovation and constant change in the industry keep her motivated to learn more.

“Nothing is ever really the same, it all depends on custom- ers and you just get to play around with flavours and tastes,” she said.

But hard work, often hot conditions and long hours usually only left the most dedicated in the industry.

“It is really hard work but it’s really rewarding at the same time,” Ms Buckley said.

“You’re there to cook and please customers and it is rewarding, that’s what people come out for. You don’t get praise but you know they’re happy.

“You do long hours every day. That becomes your life, you just work around it.

“You do miss out on some things and you don’t have set hours so you don’t get to go out with other people.

“But I get a weekend off during the week and the people you work with, that’s their weekend too so you spend time with them.”

Ms Buckley said a switch to teaching hospitalit­y was a career tangent she may consider in the future.

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