Tararua College Year 13 student Abbey Gunn cooks her omelettes. PHOTO/ELI HILL
Cupcakes to shop standard
ELI HILL
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Kuranui College student Laura-Rose Holden won the pasta category at the Wairarapa UCOL Schools Hospitality Competition.
College students from Makoura, Kuranui, and Tararua colleges, as well as Wainuiomata High School were at the UCOL’s kitchen on Friday to show off their cooking skills.
Holden’s pasta scored gold in the competition with 93 points, narrowly beating Wainuiomata students Pa’ryce Psarroudakis [91 points], and Hailey Collins [90 points].
The competition had five categories – cupcakes, barista, mocktails, pasta, and omelettes, said Ian Drew, the Palmerston North Wairarapa programme leader for hospitality.
“We’ve run the competition across our other campuses, and Wairarapa’s our last one for the year. Contestants are a combination of our one day a week trades academy students and students from secondary schools.
“This is the second year it has run in Wairarapa. We’ve got 29 entries this year, a few more than last year.”
Drew said many of the contestants had set a professional standard.
“The contestants are all properly attired and keen to go and some of the cupcakes wouldn’t be out of place in a shop or bakery.
“We work off World Association of Chefs Society protocols – we have 100 points and can lose marks, so you’re competing against other people but you’re also competing against yourself.”
