Dad off the dole and into the kitchen
A financial crisis was the lowest point in Clifford Morunga’s life.
But it was also what led him to make one of his biggest decisions in life - to go back to school and get a job.
The father to eight, the oldest being 26 and the youngest six, says his children thought going back to school in his late 30s was ‘‘hard case. They thought it was hilarious’’.
The Manurewa resident, now 41, had been a stay-at-home dad for most of his life. A normal day back then would have him get the kids ready for school, drop them off, finish off his household chores and pick the kids.
‘‘[Life] wasn’t very interesting,’’ he says.
He remembers having a job before, but that was almost a decade ago. ’’It was fibreglass ... and truck trailers, about ten years ago’’, he laughs.
When his pockets started running dry and living on benefits wasn’t enough, Morunga decided to study and get a paying job. About 16 months later, he completed his Diploma in Culinary from Manukau Institute of Technology.
‘‘The tutors are great there,’’ he says as he received a lot of motivation from them to move ahead in life.
After graduating top of the class, in December of 2015, he took up a job as a commis chef at Garrison Public House in Mount Wellington.
He regards this phase as ‘‘lifechanging’’.
Although he ‘‘doesn’t get enough sleep or time with his kids,’’ he asserts, ‘‘life has changed drastically’’. He looks forward to doing the things and living life the way he couldn’t before.
If there’s one person he could ever cook for he says would be his grandmother. ’’She was an awesome cook,’’ he says hoping to use her culinary techniques.
He enjoys cooking and says his pantry always has soy sauce, herbs, garlic, stock and honey. But his all time favourite ingredient ‘‘has to be prawns’’.
He describes anything to do with ‘‘seafood as comfort food’’ and says he likes ‘‘Asian cuisine, but not very spicy’’.
Morunga is looking towards the future and wishes someone told him about this career option a long time ago.
And to the kids of today he says: ‘‘Stay in school and study hard’’.