Student chefs from the Australia–Pacific Technical College (APTC) have shown themselves to be among the best in the Pacific by winning a record 24 medals at this year's Moffat Fiji Salon Culinaire.
The Fiji section of this respected international culinary competition, which this year attracted more than 200 entrants, was recently held in Nadi.
Fourteen APTC patisserie students from the Namaka Campus participated in the competition. Among their entries were celebration cakes, a category that offered wonderful opportunities for showing ingenuity and skill. There were cakes for weddings with decorative motifs rich in symbolism, birthday cakes, a christening cake, engagement cake and cakes with intriguing names such as Mad Hatter Cake, Creeping Cake, Autumn Cake, Harvesting Cake and Natural Beauty Cake. All won medals.
Sweets were not the only item on the menu. Other dishes on offer included Abdul Javed's Thai chicken curry with coconut rice and condiments, Frank Dilu's prawn and mango salad and Glanice Mackenzie's fruit lote with banana fritters and salty coconut caramel. All were prepared live and against the clock.
The Australia Pacific Technical College
From 2011–2015 Australia will provide $152 million to improve the college's cost effectiveness. The college supports labour mobility and increased incomes in the region by improving the skills of Pacific workers. Stage II will add a Solomon Islands campus to those in Fiji, PNG, Samoa and Vanuatu. It will increase the use of locally-based trainers and managers and simplify college management. The program will improve cooperation with regional and national training institutions throughout the Pacific. Planned outcomes include:
- increased supply of skilled workers (800–900 graduates per year)
- Pacific island women and men with Australian trade qualifications
- better national, regional and international jobs for Pacific workers in targeted sectors (automotive, manufacturing, electrical, tourism, hospitality, health and community services)
- individuals and organisations in more productive industries and sectors.
Results to date
- 3,931 Pacific trade workers have graduated to date, including more than 1,000 from Fiji
- About 35 per cent of graduates gained new and better employment
- 70 per cent of employers confirmed that employees who had been trained at the college were more productive after their course.
Prominent in the static category–dishes decorated beforehand and then put on display for judging–were Margaret Edwards's verrine of chocolates with chocolate mousse and raspberry sauce and Kailash Kumar's chocolate and hibiscus variation.
APTC student Rajanesh Reddy, who trains in the commercial cookery course, won four medals, rounding off his achievement by winning the silver medal for Junior Chef of the Year. Alisi Delai, who tutors patisserie students at the APTC's Namaka Campus, won a silver medal with her dessert, a steamed palm sugar and walnut pudding with honeycomb, pineapple compote and anglaise sauce.
APTC's School of Hospitality and Community Services Director Anthony Bailey said the five gold, eight silver and eleven bronze medals was a fantastic result. He said it was the best performance ever in the competition by students at the college.
In addition, three recent APTC students won gold medals for their celebration cakes. Selina Hazelman and Kenneth Rangi so impressed management during a work placement with the APTC at the Hilton Beach Resort that they were asked to stay on. Similarly, Nisshat Hussein now works at the Intercontinental Resort at Natadola.
The results are all the more creditable given the student chefs were competing in the open section of the Salon Culinaire against trained cooks and chefs with much more experience.
APTC patisserie trainer Amanda Young said the students did themselves proud by matching up to international standards with their creativity, flair and focus.
'Many hours of exhausting commitment have been rewarded by their achievements, and the medals are just the icing on the cake,' she said.
Fiji Chefs Association President Shailesh Naidu said the Salon Culinaire this year was an outstanding success for all involved.
'Some of the chefs were experimenting with contemporary cooking, which showed that they were not afraid to go beyond their comfort zones,' he said.
Top chefs from each of the national competitions will be invited to compete in a Pacific regional Salon Culinaire.
By training students in patisserie and commercial cookery the APTC is helping provide professional chefs with employment opportunities in resorts, hotels and restaurants, where high-quality food attracts visitors.
With tourism important not only in Fiji but throughout the Pacific, the APTC is making a positive contribution to the economic wellbeing of its host countries. Funded by the Australian Government, the College has campuses and teaching centres in 14 Pacific countries.