Inspiring Wellington High Schools

Last month on the 29^th of January, we had the pleasure of hosting a new cohort of international Wellington College students as part of their orientation. Chef Paul put them to the test with an intensive three hour session, where students learned to butcher a chicken and create Chicken Parmigiana. Teamwork was essential for the students to complete the task, and they left with a delicious meal, valuable practical skills, and a new appreciation for the culinary arts. This March we have welcomed 3 more high schools and conducted 4 culinary workshops.

Kapiti College students experienced two sessions with us as they prepare to compete in the National Secondary School Culinary Challenge. We were proud to have supported students last year who went on the win the Best Dessert and overall silver medal. This year chef Paul taught an introduction to advanced plating, preparing students to dazzle their future judges.

Wellington Girls College students enjoyed a Pâtisserie session with our Technical Director, Chef Sebastien Lambert. The class taught basic knife and piping skills with a focus on plating and dessert assembly.

St Patrick’s College Silverstream's Level 2 and 3 hospitality students joined chef instructor Nick in the kitchen to develop their fundamental kitchen organisation skills as they deboned chicken legs and learned to create the perfect batter for fried chicken. 

It has been a privilege to welcome so many budding hospitality professionals into our campus. We also offer smaller sessions for schools with a small but passionate group of culinary students who wish to experience our campus and courses, our offerings are custom and scalable to each institute's needs. We are grateful to the staff that worked with us to support their students culinary interests, we look forward to providing more workshops and classes for Wellington's secondary schools in the future! And we wish the upcoming competitors of the National Secondary School Culinary Challenge the very best.