KIM DO

Kim with her mouth-watering savoury Beef cheeseburgers with pickled beetroot, handmade mayo and crispy onion rings on the side.

Kim Do originally comes from Vietnam and moved to New Zealand four and a half years ago with her partner for his work, originally living in Auckland before moving to Wellington.

She has completed her New Zealand Certificate in Cookery, Advanced program with us. 

Early life and background

Originally from Vietnam, Kim liked the food scene in this country so much that she was inspired by the high quality to study to become a chef. This led her to look for a professional course online, which, in turn, led her to the New Zealand School of Food & Wine and a temporary shift back to Auckland for a year.

She is now living in Wellington where she works at one of the city’s top restaurants.

Now that you have graduated, what are your goals?  

“I’m currently working as a pastry chef at Logan Brown where I’m going to develop my chef career and gain more experience. I want to work as a head chef in my own restaurant one day. I’d like to make Kiwi cuisine adding in some vegetarian dishes because I like the local produce and would like to use great fresh produce in stir fries to create a reputation for high quality healthy food made using ingredients sourced from great suppliers.”

What are some of your best learning memories of studying at the NZ School of Food and Wine?

“During the course I had a month of learning about wine and that was a good experience for me. It gave me so much knowledge about the history of wine in New Zealand as well as learning how to taste and see the differences between wine types. I can now introduce customers to different types of wines.”

Here are some dishes by Kim during her course of study at NZSFW - Beef burger, filo triangles and Fragrant chicken salad with Lemongrass, Cabbage, Spring Onions, Mint, Coriander topped with a Chilli, Garlic & Lemon juice dressing.

Advice for other students?

“If you are passionate about food and wine, then you will really enjoy the course. Celia’s courses will lead you in the right direction if you want to work in any part of the hospitality industry.”