July Newsletter

Greetings to you all,

Congratulations to our cookery students for their recent medals in the NZ Chefs Association Emerging Chef Competition which we hosted at NZSFW. Well done to Ema Vodenicharova who won the competition and received a gold medal. Please have a look to see the full results of the competition and the dishes prepared by the students.

Two students also competed in the Nestle Golden Chefs Hat Competition with Reanna Dugmore winning a bronze medal and a very sharp KOI knife. See photos here.

Next Sunday, we will host the NZ Sommeliers and Wine Professionals New Zealand Sommelier of the Year Competition. You can join the Blind Tasting Competition on Sunday 28 July at 3pm or attend the Awards Dinner prepared by Chef Finn and our students with service by the Professional Wine students under the guidance of Franck Laruelle. Recently, Franck treated us to a selection of Swiss Wine and a fascinating presentation about Swiss Wine regions. Read more here.

I have recently attended the Symposium of Australian Gastronomy in Tasmania. This conference canvases many important topics with presentations primarily from academics working with food. I really enjoyed getting into to nature in the Cataract Gorge, near Launceston and of course tasting wines from their dynamic wine region. I have written two blogs on this.

And looking ahead, we have lots of classes coming up including Ralf's Artisan Bread Course, NZ Wine Micro-credential and we are actively taking enrolments for 2025 NZQA courses. Some of you maybe interested to do the WSET Spirits which runs over 2 weekends in August (17/18 & 31/1 Sept) and has a practical bartending component.

With best wishes,

Celia Hay

Ema Vodenicharova

Ema Vodenicharova: Winner + Gold medal prepared Pan-seared AKAROA Salmon fillet, Creamy green pea risotto, Crispy beetroot twine & oyster mushrooms. See more photos here.

Certificate in Baking & Patisserie Micro-Credential

The Certificate in Baking and Patisserie (Micro-Credential) introduces fundamental baking and patisserie techniques required to prepare a range of classic cakes, pastries, desserts and breads.

Evening Intake: 20 evenings over 10 Weeks

24-25 July to 25-26 September 2024
(2 places available)
Wednesday and Thursday Evenings: 4pm - 8pm

Weekend Intake: 12 Days over 6 weekends

24-25 Aug to 28-29 Sept 2024
Saturday and Sunday: 9am - 3:30pm

Please view more information here.

Certificate in Cookery & Bakery, Advanced Level 4

Gain the specialist skills you need to start an exciting career in the culinary arts and graduate with industry recognised and respected qualifications in this 36 week Advanced Certificate in Cookery Level 4 course.

Semester One covers the Certificate in Cookery & Bakery, Level 3 and Semester Two builds on these foundation skills. Speed, accuracy and consistency are characteristics that you will develop.

Upcoming Intakes

October 2024: 8 October 2024 - 13 June 2025
February 2025: 11 February 2025 - 24 October 2025

Please view more information he re.

Summer Intensive Certificate in Cookery & Bakery Level 3

Learn the skills to begin your culinary journey and as a baker or chef and gain confidence in a professional kitchen.

Summer Weekend Intensive:

8 October 2024 - 11 March 2025
Three days per week:
Friday: 10am - 4pm;
Saturday and Sunday 9am - 4.30pm
Induction week hours vary

Please view more information here.

Are sea grapes the next gastronomical treat?

The best aspect about attending a conference on gastronomy is that you meet lots of people who like food (and wine). The Symposium Australian of Gastronomy celebrated its 25th anniversary with a 4-day event in Launceston, Northern Tasmania. Attracting primarily hospitality tutors and academics from around Australia, there was also a small contingent from New Zealand also making presentations. Read More.

Swiss Wines with Franck Laruelle

Franck Laruelle, Hospitality tutor at the New Zealand School of Food and Wine since 2017, spent many years teaching in Switzerland at the highly-respected Glion Institute of Hospitality Management. Over these years, Franck explored the Swiss wine regions and developed a deep knowledge of these distinctive wines.

Following his trip back to Switzerland in 2023 and Franck's willing friends who transported wines in their luggage to New Zealand, Franck shared six wines and explained the prominent Swiss Wine regions.

Celia's Taste of Tasmania

Tasmania is a single wine region with one Geographic Indication (GI) for the whole island however there a number of distinct wine-growing regions. Regions include Tamar Valley and Piper's River are in the north, near Launceston and have over 30 wineries. The Coal River Valley and Derwent Valley are in Southern region near Hobart. With around 2400 hectares of grapes (around the size of Central Otago plantings), many wineries source grapes from a variety of regions.

WSET Award in Wines & Spirits

WSET Spirits Level 2 & Bartending - This is a great opportunity to extend your knowledge about Spirits but also practice your bartending skills in practical workshops.

Saturday & Sunday: (9am - 4pm)

17-18 Aug; 31 Aug, 1 Sept 2024

WSET Level 1 Award in Wines - If you want to develop a nose for wine, this is the perfect introduction. Learn the language of wine, and become comfortable with aromas, flavours, structural characteristics and more.

Tuesday and Thursday: 5:30pm - 8:30pm

13, 15, 20 Aug 2024
5, 7, 12 Nov 2024
3, 5, 10 Dec 2024

WSET Level 2 Award in Wines - Explores the important grape varieties of the world and how they are transformed into outstanding wines. WSET is a well-respected international qualification.

Saturday & Sunday: 9am - 4pm

10, 11 Aug; 24, 25 Aug 2024
21, 22 Sept, 5, 6 Oct 2024

WSET Level 3 Award in Wines - The classroom based course over 4 weekends gives you detailed understanding of the wines of the world and their distinctive regions.

Saturday & Sunday: (9am - 4pm)

19-20 Oct; 2-3 Nov; 16-17 Nov; 30 Nov - 1 Dec 2024

Certificate in Professional Wine Knowledge, Level 5: Students can gain multiple WSET qualifications as a package by enrolling in the NZ Certificate in Professional Wine Knowledge, Level 5. New Zealand students may be eligible for student loans or Fees Free Study for the Level 5 programme.

Certificate in New Zealand Wine

This programme provides an introduction to wine regions, grape varieties and wine styles that have made New Zealand wines famous around the world. It covers key grape varieties and explores the significance of geography, climate, environment, winemaking techniques and the vision of leading winemakers to establish New Zealand's reputation for fine wines. The textbook is the New Zealand Wine Guide, by Celia Hay, Director of the New Zealand School of Food and Wine. This book is included in the course fee.

ONLINE: Monday and Wednesday: 5pm - 8pm

Online: 19, 21, 26, 28 August 2024
Online: 14, 16, 21, 23 October 2024

IN-PERSON Two Days: 9am - 3:30pm

In-Person: 27, 28 August 2024
In-Person: 17, 18 December 2024

Part 2: Certificate in NZ Wine Advanced with Food & Wine Pairing

Two Days: 9am - 3:30pm

In-Person: 29, 30 August 2024
In-Person: 19, 20 December 2024

Artisan Breads: Bread dough to Ciabatta

Perfect your kneading and bread-making techniques with the support of our chef in this one day weekend course.
Sunday 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, 18 August 2024

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