Jul 22, 2011
North Shore International Academy (NSIA) has continued to prove its professionalism in training by receiving the 2011 Training Excellence Award at the New Zealand Culinary Fare on 19th of July. This year’s achievement sets NSIA apart as the only tertiary institution in New Zealand to have maintained a track record of winning this award for six consecutive years – a clear indication of the quality and high standards of its training along with the enthusiasm and passion of its students and hospitality instructors.
This hotly contested event is comprised of over 70 categories covering both the kitchen and restaurant sides of the dynamic industry. It provides a platform for hospitality participants to match themselves against their counterparts from across New Zealand (including entries from Mexico and Australia) to compete for prestigious industry awards and prizes. The outcomes bring national recognition for successful competitors and institutions that get behind this fantastic event that hones the next generation of industry professionals.
NSIA students proudly brought home 16 Gold, 26 Silver and 18 Bronze medals in this year’s competition. NSIA competitors also gained top scores in 12 different categories over the three days of intense competition. This was the culmination of 61 competitors entering over 23 categories. These were not easy wins as students competed with a large number of competitors from other institutions and organisations including top New Zealand restaurants and hotels. This achievement sets a high benchmark above industry expectations and in turn increases the expectations of quality in educational outcomes for tertiary education providers in this field.
Jason McGeorge, one of the senior lecturers at the academy who was responsible for coordinating NSIA’s trainers and competitors for the National Culinary Fare, says, “All the hard work that goes into facilitating the participation of our NSIA competitors is worth it when you see the students win an award and their posture and confidence is lifted. They suddenly realise that they can do well in the industry. The successful outcome of collaboration between trainer and student releases a sense of satisfaction of a job well done.”
Runjeet Lakhaney, one of NSIA’s career services consultants believes that the training journey the participants take to make it to the competitions builds their confidence, time management skills and awareness of the professionalism required to be at the top of their game. “The competition also helps to ignite their career potential knowing that employers are keener to employ candidates that have achieved recognition on a national level” he says.
A two time medal winner, NSIA graduate Sol Lee, who won gold at the Nationals, expressed her appreciation at being part of the competitions. “It definitely helped improve my skills and personal development. It was a great chance to gain further training from experienced tutors which gave me the confidence to go all the way. I was nervous at the competitions due to the level of the other competitors but this gave way to being proud to belong to NSIA, an Academy that achieved so much at the competition?” She is now adding the achievement to her CV and it has already helped to get her a trial for a pastry chef position in the Auckland region.
Newly appointed Head of Academy Tim Aspinall said he felt honoured to be associated with such a committed team of people and be given the task of accepting the 2011 Training Excellence Award on behalf on North Shore International Academy. “These great results encompass our hard working team and their vision, passion, time, energy and the trust that they share with their students. The competitions create such a positive feeling around the school. It creates a school spirit and energy before during and after the competitions that the students and staff really enjoy,” says Tim.
We are all looking forward to what next year’s National Culinary Salon can bring.
Statistics:
Total Medal Talley: 60
Gold: 16
Silver: 26
Bronze: 18
Top Winners of 12 Categories: (in order of highest points scored)
Live Margarine Sculpturing Competition, Open Category: 97 points, Gold
Chocolate Dessert open category: 96 points, Gold
Pasta Training Class: 95 points, Gold
Fruit Flan Training Class: 94 points, Gold
Formal Breakfast Dish, Training Class: 93 Points, Gold
Table Setting, Clearing Down and Crumbing, Training Class: 93.5 Points, Gold
Napkin Folding and centre piece, training class: 91 Points, Gold
Pork Dish Open Class: 91 points, Gold
Salmon Dish, Training Class: (points not available) Gold
Corn Fed Free Range Chicken Class: 86 points, Silver
Fish and Seafood Open Class: 82 points, Silver
Beef and Lamb Dish Open Class: 80 points, Silver
