Four Year 10 students visited Aureus School with Miss Kumagai on Tuesday morning to take part in the inter-school MasterChef competition, and came back victorious!

Judged by Chefs from Berro Lounge and Cafe No.33, the remit was to prepare a three-course modern Italian menu:

Starter: Bruschetta
Main Course: Handmade tagliatelle pasta with sauce (pasta must be made by hand, without the use of a machine)
Dessert: Fruit tiramisu (schools must confirm their chosen flavour in advance)

Ben, Isaac, James and Ned worked exceptionally well throughout the competition; they were organised, focused and highly supportive of one another. All of the chefs were extremely impressed by the way our students worked together and commented positively on their teamwork and professionalism.

One student showed real initiative by demonstrating to a member of staff how to create a strawberry rose. She was so impressed that she specifically asked me to award him 5 behaviour points for taking the time to teach her during the competition.

Several chefs asked the students challenging questions and were genuinely impressed by how confidently and collaboratively our Year 10 students responded. One chef was particularly surprised that our students made their ladyfingers from scratch, as students from other schools had used ready-made ones. Although the first batch did not turn out well, perhaps because the meringue was not whisked to stiff peaks, a student showed great resilience by preparing a second batch which was perfect. His determination was highlighted in the feedback from one of the chefs, who was very impressed.

While we were waiting for the results, nerves certainly set in. One student even had a nosebleed; he mentioned that this happens occasionally but it was likely brought on by the excitement. Two other students checked their pulses and found that they were over 30 beats per minute higher than normal.

Ms Adam, Head of DT at Aureus school commented: "They were great ambassadors of your school and I was very impressed with their skills and talent."

The boys arrived back to SBS in time for period 5 with vouchers to spend at both Berro Lounge and Cafe 33, a Junior MasterChef cookery book, a chocolate bunny and victorious smiles!

Overall, it was a fantastic experience for the students and one that we very much hope to repeat next year. The judges also mentioned that they would be very happy to welcome our students into their restaurants and would gladly offer them work experience opportunities.

 

Ms Kumagai
Head of Food Preparation and Nutrition