By TBHS | Posted: Tuesday September 17, 2019
Matt Kennedy (Year 13), Callum Bowmar (Year 12) and Hayden Jefferson (Year 13, reserve) competed in the Grand Final of the NSSCC (National Secondary Schools Culinary Competition in Auckland at NZMA (New Zealand Management Academies) on the 3 September, a competition run by the Culinary Arts Development Trust.
Matt Kennedy won the Regional competition of the NSCC in Term 2, which meant that he would be representing not only TBHS but Canterbury and Tasman at the Grand Final in Auckland. The NSCC Grand Final consisted of a team of two competitors. Matt asked Callum (who had also competed in the Regional competition) to complete the team for the Grand Final.
The Grand Final competition criteria consisted of: four individually plated entrees involving NZ carrots as the principal component, four individually plated mains featuring Waitoa Chicken as the protein component and at least three NZ seasonal vegetables with the starch component being kūmara.
All dishes were prepared in the commercial kitchen of NZMA in a 90 minutes timeframe.
The preparation for the Grand Final involved a massive amount of time and commitment by the three students. A huge thank you to Lynda Paul, Megan Blake, Steve Le Corre and Wally Katene from ARA and Justin Holman from Thomas House for their continued support, industry knowledge and guidance in helping these students prepare for this event.
Matt and Callum were awarded a Gold Medal for their entree and main dishes. To be awarded a Gold, the team needed to score between 90-99% for their kitchen work and the taste of the final plated dishes. This is truly an amazing achievement for Matt and Callum.
Matt was also awarded a starter pack scholarship by the event judges, recognising his talent in this industry.
On 4 September ,the students took part in a Culinary Journey around Auckland. During this tour they visited various sponsors of the NSSCC including Moffatt, Bidfood processing centres and Star City. While at Sky City, the competitors were treated to a spectacular lunch catered by 2nd Year Chef apprentices. This Culinary Journey concluded with a guided tour of several of the commercial kitchens within Sky City. This inspiring adventure has truly been life changing for everyone involved.
