Newsletter: May 2020

Hello out there,

I am thinking about what we have learnt from this strange and curious time. I hope that we are more healthy? Certainly, I have not experienced those early winter sniffles, coughs or chilly vibes. It's not all bad.

At NZSFW, we too are changing and adapting some of our courses so that they are delivered online and live. This past fortnight, we have run 4 evening sessions where I had 6 happy wine-lovers, including Amanda from Northland, join me for an online Certificate in New Zealand Wine with a case of wine delivered to their home.  The LCQ Alcohol Licence was held online this week too, and on Friday, I had 15 people from around New Zealand join our Food Safety programme.

Several of our online students are planning to open businesses and I was excited to learn of their businesses and start-up ideas especially for registering a home kitchen to prepare food and become a fledgling entrepreneur. And most people do engage online! This new model is no longer a oneway conversation, particularly as we all become more proficient at using this technology. 

For me, learning to present and communicate online is a new challenge. When I ask a question, 25 seconds of silence does seem a loooong time. But in many instances, this is just the lag as people turn on their microphones to share an idea or comment from their bubble. The students are able to go on and complete online assessments and once submitted, we can mark and provide and feedback.

I am also learning how useful presenting my screen online can be for students. With the Food Safety course, I type live into our teaching material, spelling mistakes included, as we progress through the workbook. With the Certificate in NZ Wine, we use my textbook, the New Zealand Wine Guide and I am delighted to show Kevin Judd's beautiful images along with regional maps and text during my presentation. It's fun. In this format, it is easy to click through and visit websites compared to in the classroom, such as New Zealand Winegrowers, Pegasus Bay, Greywacke or Te Mata while we talk and engage with our students, out there.

Embracing new ideas and thinking is how education will evolve is the future. Pictured below, I am leading a tasting with my online students this week. We tasted the Millton Chenin Blanc, a biodynamic from Gisborne and Villa Maria Ihumatao Chardonnay - two wines from two leading producers which reflect New Zealand's wine history and enormous innovation.

FRESH CHEESE - DIPLOMA STUDENTS MAKE BURRATA

Our first day back after lockdown making fresh burrata, stuffed with spinach and basil for our Level 5 Diploma Chefs.

View more information about the Certificate in Cookery Level 5 here. We also have a new Recognition of Prior Learning Enrolment Pathway (RPL) for this programme. The RPL allows prospective students to use relevant work experience to satisfy the entry requirements of higher-level NZQA courses that they would not otherwise be eligible for. 

Next Intake: 20 July, 2020

Click here for more information. 

RUNNING THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES

If you have been working in hospitality and have great practical skills but now find that you have some downtime, you may want to look at our
NZ Certificate in Hospitality & Event Management, Level 5

We offer Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for Food and Beverage Level 4 if you have worked in a restaurant, bar or hotel and have key hospo skills already.

This practical qualification includes a little wine (WSET Level 2 Award in Wine), advanced customer service (silver service, gueridon, mixology, events), business management (computer skills, spreadsheets, basic accounting, rosters, team building), event planning and management.

Next Intake: 15 June, 2020

Please email admin@foodandwine.co.nz to arrange a time.

NEW ZEALAND WINE GUIDE

"More than just a wine guide - There’s a useful and enlightening section on viticulture, a wine drinker’s guide to major (and many minor) grape varieties, a guide to winemaking and even a no-nonsense and very lucid section on evaluating wine plus a history of wine and hospitality in New Zealand" - Highly Recommended by Bob Campbell MW.

A selection of local maps, explanations of vine growing, and winemaking processes, illustrated with helpful photographs and diagrams, makes this book an invaluable resource. Also included are extensive recommendations of wines to taste that express the different styles of winemaking and their regional character.

Kevin Judd’s breathtaking photographs dramatically illustrate vineyard life in these beautiful winegrowing regions of New Zealand.

Buy thebook.

DREAMING OF OPENING YOUR OWN FOOD BUSINESS?

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