Soul Table

From Left: Technical Director Sebastien Lambert, Head Chef of Koji Johnon McDonald, BCAB student Sagar, Chef de Cuisine Nick Huffman

At Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand everything we do is to prepare our students for industry, our Brasserie Training Restaurant is pivotal for enabling students to step straight into their careers. Traditionally, our Brasserie service menu is designed by one of our chef instructors to showcase and test the skills learned over the last term. For our final service of the year, we had the pleasure of offering something special, a menu and concept created by one of our Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Business students.

Chef Nick and Sagar preparing the final touches for the first service.

Sagar approached us mid-way through the year with his ambition to offer a 5 course degustation menu, under the guidance and refinement of our chef instructor Nick Huffman, on the 5^th and 6^th of December guest and members of the Chaine des Rotisseurs enjoyed Sagar's ‘Soul Table’.

Chef Nick explaining the menu to students before service. 

Soul Table was a reflection of Sagar’s culinary journey that blended his cultural heritage, skills learned throughout his programme, and current industry experiences at Koji; an Asian fusion restaurant that was awarded Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year in 2024. Soul Table was a tremendous success, both evenings quickly sold out with incredible feedback from all who attended. Below are a few words from Sagar as he reflects on his experience.