Aaron Lock Adrienne Roberts.
In the six years we have been taking boys up to Auckland to compete in the New Zealand Hospitality National Championships, we have never gained a gold medal. This year, the team of six boys walked away with five gold medals, 10 silver medals and three bronze medals, making this the most successful competition ever for us by a mile.
Both Adrienne (Mrs. Roberts) and I firmly believe in the benefits of getting the boys to take part in competition cookery. It instills in the boys a sense of pride, resilience and accomplishment as well taking them far out of their comfort zone. It is when the boys are in this state of (controlled) discomfort they learn the most and find out what they are able to achieve.
The level of organisation the boys need to show is huge. They need to make sure they have all their equipment and food, as if they forget to take it into the arena then they have to adapt on the spot to make sure their dish is not compromised.
The pride is growing within the boys as each week, they are getting stronger and more confident with their ability to cook their respective dishes. As the pressure goes on the boys, this pride they have carries them through the rough times they will have. What has been happening in the other cooking classes is the positive conversations the boys who are not taking part have been having about the food and the ability of the other boys which has got them wondering if they are able to take part next year.
As you read this you may be asking yourself, how does this relate to you at home? With any task you do, the more times you do it the easier it becomes and the same is true with cooking the evening meal. The more organisation and knowledge you have, the easier and more enjoyable the task will become. I bet if you start a competition at home within the family as to who can cook the best evening meal you will be getting some quality meals, not to mention the fun and excitement that will be generated each night.
The boys were outstanding and in every way exemplified our school vision of Being the Example.
Each competition the boys enter, they start with 100 points and get points taken off them for every incorrect thing they do, from techniques to food and kitchen safety and even to how much food is wasted. So to achieve a gold medal means only a maximum of 10 points can be lost. The reason we enter boys into competitions is because all of our courses are industry based and competitions give them some idea of the pressures around cooking to very high standards. As well as that, they are judged by some of the best chefs in the country. The competitions also bring out the best in the boys and they spend hours with us training and tweaking, and adding, and deleting foods and processes right up to when we leave for Auckland.
John Lea (year 12) who won two of our 5 Gold medals must receive special mention as he was in the hunt for Best New Zealand Secondary Student but narrowly missed that title and gained third place.
Gold – John Lea x 2 (Scones & Omelette), Connor Yardley (Omelette), Ethan Corry (Pasta), Brayden Thompson (Pasta); Silver – Toby Rameka x2 (Sandwich & Smoothie), Ethan Corry x2 (Scones & Soup) , Brayden Thompson x2 (Scones & Soup), Zackery Schwass x2 (Team mystery box & Sandwich), Connor Yardley (Team mystery box), John Lea (Smoothie). Bronze – Connor Yardley (Smoothie), Toby Rameka (Pasta), Zackery Schwass (Smoothie).
As well as these outstanding results, at the regional competitions held in June, our team of Connor Yardley and Zackery Schwass won the City and Guilds National Secondary School Culinary Competition. This sees them heading up to Auckland to take part in the National event on the 29th of August. They have been putting in the hard yards and are ready to compete against the best secondary cooks in the country.
Today we have the recipes for 3 of the gold winning dishes from the 2017 Nationals for you to try: Creamy Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms, Lemonade Scones with Apricot jam and Vanilla Cream and a classic cheese Omelette with caramelised onions and a tomato salsa.