High School chefs sharpening their knives for National Final

Charlotte Taylor and Olivia Caird with Linda Hardcastle (left) and Dean Wong (right).

Whanganui High School students, Olivia Caird and Charlotte Taylor, are sharpening their knives to cut through the competition and win the experience of a lifetime.

As winners of the Wanganui regional title, the girls are off to Auckland to compete in the grand final of the National Secondary Schools Culinary Challenge (NSSCC) being held on August 30.

The pair underwent a live kitchen cook off to produce four portions of entrée and main meals in just 90 minutes to gain their place at the final. The dishes had to include New Zealand produced vegetables and chicken, with silverbeet being the hero vegetable for the Entree.

The entrée was ravioli bletté bleur (ravioli filled with silverbeet, bacon and blue cheese) served with spring onion and parmesan cream sauce and parmesan wafers.

The main was chicken vialotte – rolled chicken breast stuffed with rhubarb, lemon and shallots, served with baby carrots, capsicum and smashed potato with avocado, accompanied by a rhubarb and raspberry sauce.

If they can impress the judges and secure the top place the girls will be heading to Sydney for an incredible culinary experience.

My Kitchen Rules judge and restauranteur, Ben Bayly said the competition will be fierce and each team needs to pull out all stops to win.

“While the students will be scored across a number of areas including food preparation, hygiene, presentation and taste, I will be looking for that x factor – attitude. I want to see the fire in their eyes and a hunger to win. When picking talent for my restaurants, this is what I look for.”

Head of Department – Food, Nutrition and Hospitality at Whanganui High School, Linda Hardcastle, said the Year 12 students were practicing at every chance they got and she was confident they were on track for the big day.

“Olivia and Charlotte have been doing final tweaks to the dishes and plating style and are looking like a well-oiled machine. They have also been very fortunate to have chef, Dean Wong, mentoring them and it has been wonderful to have that level of expertise to help them get to the next level. “

The winning team and their teacher will be flown to Sydney for an exclusive culinary experience, including a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the Sydney hospitality industry, dining at high profile restaurants, visiting some of Sydney’s vibrant food markets and more.

In addition, the national winners will each receive a $1,000 gift pack as well as a $2000 towards their study of a City & Guilds International Catering Qualification. The winning school will receive a package worth $7,000. The total prize package is valued at over $17,000.