Teens mix it in hospitality
The best omelettes, coffees, pizzas and mocktails were whipped up as Manawatu¯ teens took part in UCOL’S secondary schools’ hospitality competition.
UCOL’S training kitchen was busy for the competition last Friday, when budding young chefs, baristas and mixologists experienced what it is like work- ing in the hospitality industry.
The Palmerston North Girls’ High School pair of Eden Jelavic, 16, and Maia Persson, 16, entered in the omelette competition and the cup cake competition.
‘‘It was good,’’ Jelavic said after they finished making their omelettes. ‘‘There was a lot of pressure on us but we got there.’’
They made a chorizo, tomato, feta and basil omelette with balsamic glaze, and another with mushroom, spinach and blue cheese.
Both of them do food science at school and Jelavic also works at Burger Fuel.
Persson said she’d like to be a chef one day.
Their schoolmate Ella Fleet, 16, was in the barista competition.
She is a big coffee drinker and felt like she did well making coffee.
The Awatapu College pair of Emma Cunningham, 17, and Jasmine Waters, 17, were making alcohol-free cocktails.
They had 15 minutes to make four drinks each. Waters made a citrus bolt and a citrus cloud, while Cunningham made a Chinese firebolt and a sunny holiday.
Cunningham has been making drinks for about three years, but Waters is new to it.
There were also competitions for front of house, making pizza and pasta.
Programme leader Ian Drew said the competition gave students a taste of what it’s like to work in the industry and some would come to study hospitality at UCOL.
The competitions were about being creative, Drew said.