Sep 3, 2012
It was a night of high praise at the Ellerslie Event Centre for exceptional chefs who competed in the 2012 National Culinary Fare. The Salon is in its 20th year and continues to draw large crowds that come to see the chefs and front-of-house competitors battle it out for the medals and top awards.
Joyce Zafra was one of these highly trained individuals who competed in the pastry categories and came out top of her section. Joyce comments on her recent achievement, “I was shocked and overwhelmed to receive the ‘Pastry Chef of The Year’ award at the National Culinary Fare prizegiving this year. This could only be put down to all the long hours of practice, and the support of my chefs. I have put a lot of time into preparing and fine tuning my dishes at SkyCity kitchens and feel this has helped.”
Asked about her work environment Joyce says, “I am enjoying the SkyCity work environment so much. Every day is different and has its own challenges because the place is very busy and alive. As a Commis Pastry Chef I work with some great chefs like the Assistant Head Pastry Chef Bjorn Heller and Head Pastry Chef Robert Bok. They have really helped me develop my pastry skills.” Chef Bjorn comments, “We are very proud of Joyce as she never gives up at any task. She works extremely hard and has a great attitude. We see her as a very good team player who supports the other staff and the team leader. Her results at the Culinary Fare are great for her and SkyCity.”
Joyce Zafra with Assistant Head Pastry Chef Bjorn Heller from SkyCity
Joyce mentions that, “At North Shore International Academy I gained a lot of skills and knowledge in the culinary arts. I consider studying at NSIA as the beginnings of my training path as it gave me a great foundation in basic kitchen skills. Last year I also competed in the Culinary Fare through NSIA and gained a number of medals in the Live Dessert and Cold Dessert categories. I’m now looking forward to the future to see where this leads me.”
Joyce with NSIA Chef Tutor Earl King at NSIA
NSIA Chef Tutor Earl King who was the trainer for Joyce in 2011 Culinary Fare competitions expresses his reaction to the award, “I felt very proud to be a vital link in her progress. It is what we look forward to in our graduates, to see them make it out there in the hospitality industry”. The Head of NSIA followed up with his thoughts on the outcomes, “Here at the Academy we strive to make sure that there is a strong culture in place for all of our students to have the opportunity to succeed. This result goes to show that NSIA is capable of developing talent for the industry. We are certainly honoured to be one of the steps in Joyce’s culinary career. We look forward to seeing where her future culinary journey takes her”.
