Students Wow Judges at 2022 MCIE Culinary Competition

October 2022

It was a pleasure to attend and sponsor Melbourne City Institute of Education’s 2022 Culinary Competition. On the day, students put their skills to the test by serving their very best dishes on the plate for a panel of world-renowned judges There was an incredible atmosphere throughout the event, full of excitement for the dishes and anticipation for the final result.

Seeing (and tasting) the achievements on display was an amazing experience for all involved. Trainers declared their pride and the judges were clearly impressed with the students’ craft and creativity. I suppose it really does show that the way into a chef’s heart is through their stomach. It was nothing short of heart-warming to see entrants taking photos of all the dishes, seemingly just as proud of their peers’ creations as their own.

A highlight of the event was hearing from Timothy, an MCIE graduate who has found great success in the industry since completing his course in 2018. The excitement of the day was nothing new for Timothy, who himself won the runners up prize when he competed in the competition during his years of study. During his address, Timothy thanked the Australian Culinary Federation for their support, and discussed the opening of his restaurant, Tomodachi Izakaya & Bar. He also let it be known they were hiring, much to the delight of the MCIE cohort.

An added drama of the contest was the way in which it narrowly avoided disaster. Just as the students were plating up their dishes, a street-wide plumbing issue cut off water to the kitchen. If the damage had been done any earlier, the whole event would have been thrown into disarray.

It was enlightening to see a side of the training process that we as resource providers rarely get to see. Didasko Learning Resources take great pride in delivering quality assessments and comprehensive learning materials to our clients, and seeing what students do with the skills and knowledge they acquire throughout their qualifications was really gratifying.

As much as everyone would have loved to try all eighteen dishes, no one envied

the judges’ position to pick a winner. Every team served an entrée, main course, and dessert to be proud of, each course plated up to perfection. Judges Chef Bernd Uber, Peter Wright and Martin Probst managed their difficult task of picking a winner, and the room erupted into cheers and congratulations.

We want to thank Gurpreet Bhatia, and all staff and students of MCIE for putting on a wonderful event and making us feel so welcome.