A Charles Darwin University student will set off to the culinary capital of Australia next month to attend one the foodservice industry’s most prestigious events.
Certificate III in Commercial Cookery student Kristin Bonney said she was honoured to be the only NT representative of the 32 participants from Australia and New Zealand who would take part in the Fonterra Proud to be a Chef program in Melbourne.
“I’m really lucky to get selected,” Kristin said. “I’m told that I’m the first person from the NT to ever be picked.”
Now in its 14th year, the event gives apprentice chefs a career kick start, exposing them to inspiring learning opportunities through mentoring with some of Australia’s leading chefs and industry experts.
“The main thing for me is networking. I’m really keen to get my name out there and meet some of the country’s top chefs, as well as other apprentices from across Australia and New Zealand.”
Kristin also will be in the running to win an international culinary scholarship valued at $7500. If she wins, Kristin said she would realise her dream of working at the famed Chicago restaurant, Alinea, where the house specialty was an 18-course degustation menu of molecular gastronomy delights.
“It would be really challenging working at a restaurant like Alinea, but the amount of knowledge I’d gain from the experience would be incredible. Just dining there is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
While in Melbourne, Kristin will sample dishes at some of the city’s most prestigious restaurants, rub shoulders with industry leaders, participate in cooking master classes and have an original recipe snapped by a professional food photographer.
Currently working as an apprentice chef at SKYCITY Darwin’s Cove restaurant, Kristin is the 2012 Australian Hotels Association Apprentice of the Year and 2011 NT Australian Culinary Federation Apprentice of the Year.
The 2013 Fonterra Proud to be a Chef event will take place from 25 to 28 February 2013.