Who will be Wodonga's master chef?

It's crunch-time for Wodonga TAFE’s apprentice chefs wanting to leave a culinary impression on the state and national stage as they compete in a ‘cook-off’ in a regional final of the AUS-TAFE 2010 Culinary Trophy.

First-year apprentices will battle it out in the kitchen using the same main ingredients and racing against the clock at The Valleys Restaurant tomorrow, 1 July.   Like the television show, the apprentices will endure a few nervous weeks as more first-year apprentices will attend the competition on the 28 July.  Second and third-year apprentices will battle it out on the 19^th and 14^th of July.

Each student is required to set up, prepare, cook and serve two plates of each dish and then clean up in the two hours that they are allocated.

Cookery teacher, Christian Beattie said, “it's a fantastic opportunity for regional students to showcase their skills”.

"It is the perfect place for these students to demonstrate their own skill and knowledge in the culinary arts in a pressure situation," Mr Beattie said.

"Our first-year apprentices must use pork fillets as part of their set criteria. Second-year apprentices must bone a whole chicken and use part of that within their dish and our third-year apprentices must use lamb for their main course and make a dessert using pear as the feature ingredient," said Mr Beattie.

 Students must supply their own additional ingredients but cannot bring in pre-made goods such as pasta and may not deep fry anything.

But it’s not all about taste. The final dishes will be judged under the following criteria:

The final challenge the contestants face is cost. First-year apprentices have a budget of only $10 a serving, second years can spend $13 while third years have just $15 to produce a two-course meal.

The two best apprentices from each year level will qualify for the Victorian state finals to be held in Melbourne. The State winners will then compete in the national final later this year. 

For more information on becoming an apprentice, please contact Wodonga TAFE’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship Coordinator on (02) 6055 6542.