The 2023 first round of the Sacred Heart College Junior Chef Competition was held recently, involving students in Grade 4 representing six Catholic Primary Schools from the region. Held in the College’s Frayne Hospitality Centre, the primary students were challenged to prepare a stack of three pancakes with a mixed berry sauce.

The Junior Chef competition aims to provide Grade 4 students with an opportunity to experience the secondary environment, while building on their culinary and teamwork skills. This competition also provided an opportunity for the VET Hospitality students at Sacred Heart College to act as mentors to these primary students. The primary schools used their own methods for selecting the students for their teams, some asking them to provide a written application on why they would like to be involved, with others challenging students to a pancake cook-off to secure their place. The event, which was first held in 2018, continues to grow in popularity, and schools regularly have large numbers of students eager to be involved.

“It was fantastic to see the young people so excited and engaged in cooking. They all worked extremely well in their teams and had obviously practised their recipes several times in advance,” said Head of Junior School, Haley Galloway.

The teams will participate in the final to select the winning team on 24 October where they will be challenged to make home made fettucine pasta. The winning school will receive a $250 gift voucher from the Riddell's Creek Nursery to allow them to purchase plants for the school’s kitchen garden.

All at Sacred Heart College hope that this experience will be the start of an interest in cooking for the students involved for years to come.