Young chefs prepare for judging

Winning gold in a cooking contest helped mould a career for UCOL Wairarapa chef lecturer Damian Peeti, who is today readying five of his students for their first competition.

Mr Peeti selected the Certificate in Professional Cookery students from the UCOL Wairarapa teaching kitchens to compete in the Central Salon Culinaire in Napier on May 5.

"I won a gold medal in my first competition and that really hooked me in to the industry. My lecturers inspired me and now I'm inspiring a new generation."

Mr Peeti said he graduated with a cookery certificate qualification from the Palmerston North UCOL cookery programme in 1999 and recalls his time in the classroom and in competition.

"I remember my experiences as a student and how my lecturers encouraged us to enter competitions," he said.

"It was so valuable for making contacts and keeping up with industry trends."

Each of his students will prepare, cook and present a hot kitchen dish to the judges within a tight time limit, Mr Peeti said. They would also present a cold, or static, dish prepared earlier.

He said Megan Tearle would compete in the open salmon and cheesecake categories, Casey Watson will prepare a cheesecake and fruit flan and Joseph Parata will have entries in the open lamb and celebration cake classes.

Youth Guarantee students Thomas Pepper and Cheryl-Kay Phillips, who respectively travel from Featherston and Greytown to take the Masterton classes, will compete in the open lamb and fruit flan categories and the open beef and cheese cake categories.

Mr Peeti said it was important to expose the students to the hospitality industry "outside the classroom, and outside the region".

It is the first time UCOL students have entered the Hawke's Bay contest and the team of hopefuls have an excellent role model in Mr Peeti, who has trained and managed numerous teams to culinary competition success.

Mr Peeti, who holds a Bachelor in Culinary Arts, is a qualified culinary judge and assessor and active member of the New Zealand Chefs Association.

He has an impressive work history, cooking with top chefs in some of the most highly-acclaimed restaurants in Hawke's Bay including Te Awa Winery Restaurant, The Gintrap Cafe and Bar, The Old Church and the Provedore Restaurant.

A team of three UCOL Wairarapa cookery students - Dominique Waimotu, Matt Lett and Casey Watson - will also compete in at least two classes in the student category of the prestigious annual Wellington Culinary Fare on May 24.

Both competitive teams have been fundraising to cover the travel expenses by catering at local events and UCOL graduation.