Selwyn_Times: September 21, 2022

Selwyn Times Wednesday September 21 2022
20
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Young chef wins golden hat through
BACKING HERSELF and
reaching for any opportunities
that come her way has landed
for former Lincoln High School
student Gabby Sanders a
glittering Australasian award for
young chefs.
The Ara Institute of Canterbury-Te
Pūkenga second year
cookery student was crowned
with the prestigious Nestle
Golden Chef’s Hat in Melbourne
- scooping up a $10,000 prize and
earning her the description of
“hottest rising star of the transtasman
culinary scene.”
Said Sanders: “The whole
experience has been amazing.
The people I’ve met have been
incredible. It’s made me realise
the biggest step is pushing
yourself and putting yourself out
there to have a go.”
Now in it’s 57th year, the award
seeks to develop young chefs and
kick-start their careers by taking
part in live cook-offs to globally
recognised standards.
Sanders, 23, was one of 12
finalists chosen from New
Zealand and Australia for 2022
after regional finals in both
countries. She took part in the
final battle on the big stage at
Fine Food Australia last week –
her first trip out of the country.
The final round of the
competition, to create three
complex courses in threeand-half
hours were a were “a
pressure-fuelled blur,” she said.
“It all feels kind of surreal.
I didn’t look up once. I was
absolutely sprinting. Everyone was
just running. It was so
much fun – the pressure of it is
why we do what we do.”
Sanders executed a triplegold
winning medley of dishes
comprising an entrée of leek,
OUTSTANDING:
Ara secondyear
cookery
student Gabby
Sanders was
crowned with
the prestigious
Nestle Golden
Chef’s Hat in
Melbourne for
her medley of
dishes.
potato and smoked beurre blanc,
nori and hazelnuts and a main
of glazed pork, caramelised soy
dumpling and Asian pork jus.
Dessert was a chai spice cake,
with caramel, coffee, walnut,
pear and white chocolate.
Ara manager culinary
programmes Ryan Marshall said
the Department of Hospitality
and Service Industries was “over
the moon”.
“It’s very rare for someone to
win a gold medal for every course
for entrée, main and dessert under
such massive pressure,” he said.
Marshall said Sanders’
achievement was a boost for Ara.
“Our reputation for training
chefs is known throughout New
Zealand; now it is becoming
known at an international level
too.”
Sanders was working in a
supermarket deli when she was
encouraged by her boss to try the
Ara cookery course.
“The chef I was working with
said he’d really enjoyed it and I
should give it a go,” she said.
Sanders said the level 4 cookery
course was new territory for
her.
“It was the first time I’d done
anything like this other than
always being keen on food and
helping mum at home. I was
probably a bit of a pain to be
honest,” she laughed.
“My family has always believed
food is for sharing and for
bringing people together, but I’d
never really considered being a
chef as a career for me.
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