It has been an exciting time in Hospitality, with Year 9 school camps happening this term. 

The Hospitality team has been busy making soups, trialling food ideas and preparing to be camp cooks. This is no small task and the students yet again did a stellar job of making sure the food and drinks were tasty, hot and on time.

Levels 2 & 3 students were treated to the Head of Food and Fashion at ARA Institute, Ryan Marshall, personally taking them on a guided tour. Students finished the visit with free hot chocolates and a sweet bite to eat at the Visions Café. Then they were off to the amazing BIDVEST Food Show, where more tastings of food and drinks were offered to the students, and many samples given to them to take home and try.

Matariki (Maori New Year) celebrations had Hospitality students, in collaboration with the Te Rakiwhakaputa students, turning their hands to more quantity cookery. Students helped to manufacture dozens of meals to go in the new multi kai cooker, which were used as a fundraiser to help pay for carvings in the new cultural learning centre, that is currently being built by the students of our school.

Function catering this term included a celebration for Karanga Mai Young Parents Centre's Prime Minister's Award, an inter-school sports competition, CACTUS and our fabulous library hosting other librarians from other parts of Canterbury. We have also run a couple of cafés to test out our cooking food to order and waiting skills.

International students from Junten High School in Japan were hosted by our classes to decorate gingerbread men, which is always appreciated and rated highly by these visiting groups.

Whilst all this has been happening, we have still be concentrating on our foundations of cookery, working safely and hygienically, practising our knife skills, baking, barista work and we even had a bit of a healthy competition with our Level 1 Hospitality students, to see what method would produce the best poached egg. This trial was for us to test the waters in Hospitality competitions that could possibly be run by ARA next year.

Joyeux Cuisine - Happy Cooking