Bendigo students cooking up their careers

BENDIGO’S status as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy is in good hands, with two local TAFE cookery students winning bronze medals in a statewide competition.

Damian McCarthy and Ash Coles were among more than 70 students who competed in the Australian Culinary Federation’s AusTAFE Culinary Trophy Victorian finals, with winners announced last month.

Mr McCarthy is now a two-time trophy medallist and works as an apprentice chef at Borchelli Ristorante.

He presented a French two-egg omelette, a lamb backstrap au poivre and a citrus medley for judging.

“It’s very important for chefs to be constantly learning and looking at new things,” Mr McCarthy said.

“My experience with TAFE so far has been pretty good; there’s been a lot to learn. The older teachers have lots of knowledge and so it’s good to learn off them.”

Mr Coles, meanwhile, is the brains and the chef behind food truck business Smoke N Roast, which he set up after leaving a 10-year mining career.

“Smoke N Roast started as an idea about 10 years ago,” he said. “(It was) something that I’ve always wanted to do – the American-style barbecue and cooking.

“I bought the van and built it from the ground up and started the business about three years ago.

“My wife encouraged me to enrol (at Bendigo TAFE). She said it was something that I’ve always wanted to do, so now was the time to do it.”

Mr Coles’s competition creations were a French omelette, garlic confit chicken as the entree and a chorizo stuffed chicken roulade as the main.

Both men have big plans for their careers – Mr Coles has recently bought a restaurant, cafe and bar and will work as its chef while Mr McCarthy wants to complete his apprenticeship and work locally while setting aside time to explore cuisines around the world.

Both students are pursuing the Certificate III in Commercial Cookery.

Bendigo was recognised by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Gastronomy in 2019, joining 245 other creative cities around the world.

Students are invited to participate in the AusTAFE state competitions each year, with category winners progressing to a national apprentice competition.

Bendigo TAFE has trained more than 530 cookery, hospitality and baking students over the past five years in the face of reported significant workforce shortages across the Loddon Campaspe region’s hospitality sector.