Silver MedalistsEva Tiong and Rachel Anderson by Alex Schwass

National Secondary Schools Culinary Competition 2019

Two brave students from Level 3 Hospitality competed in the National Secondary Schools Culinary Competition 2019, which was held at Ara Institute of Canterbury on Monday 17 June.

Rachel Anderson and Eva Tiong spent time with chef Jonny Schwass and teacher Alexandra Schwass, to develop and perfect an entree dish which championed the carrot.   They had 60 minutes under strict and intense pressure to put up two plates each, which they managed to do with style and within the time frame.  They were competing against four other students from around the Canterbury region and were judged by tutors from Ara, as well as visiting chef Mark Sycamore, who hails from the exclusive lodge -  Blanket Bay.  Mark also happens to be the NZ Chefs National Team Captain. No pressure girls!

Their dish entitled ‘Textures of Carrot’ included roasted carrot, pickled carrots, carrot top pesto, carrot mayonnaise, black sesame lavosh, preserved lemon cream with sesame tahini, plump sultanas and dried chickpeas. It was an absolute vision.  The girls did incredibly well and scored silver medals (only 3 points from the winner)!  The result - an extremely proud teacher and coach and a few tears of joy.   Both girls showed true dedication and gained a great sense of achievement. Congratulations Rachel and Eva!

'Textures of Carrot' — Image by: Alex Schwass