Chef competes for title
A young chef is competing for an international title and helping his old high school at the same time.
Mt Roskill chef William Mordido will be competing at the NZChefs National Salon in July, for the World Junior Chef Pacific Rim title.
After winning the NZ National Final of the 2015 Hans Bueschkens Young Chefs Challenge, the 22-year-old will compete against chefs from Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu and Guam.
‘‘It’s really great. It’s just a little bit more pressure now that I’m competing against other countries and there’s not a lot of time to prepare for the competition,’’ Mordido says.
The winner will represent the Pacific Region at the World Association of Chefs Society (WACS) World Chef Congress in Athens in September 2016.
Mordido is preparing for the competition by refining what he did at nationals in a competition setting and under time pressure.
Competitors had to prepare a three-course meal using specific ingredients. Among others they were required to have salmon in the entre´e, rump steak in the main and tea included in the dessert.
He also says much of his success is due to the people who have supported him along the way, such as his boss and mentor Roberto Manuel and former teacher Angie Wilson.
Onehunga High School’s food and hospitality school head Angie Wilson says the former student has been using the school’s commercial kitchen to practise for the event.
She says he is an inspiration to the young chefs at the school and generously gives his time to mentor students who are competing at secondary school level. ‘‘Our little deal was that I would use her classroom to practise and at the same time I helped her students compete as well,’’ Mordido says.
The NZChefs National Salon will include several other competitions and features cooking demonstrations, a barista smackdown, waiting and bedmaking races, secondary schools culinary competitions and a primary school aged Kids Can Cook event.