TRAINING

Passion for baking shines through

Vicki Young’s culinary journey started in 2017 when she began her study with WelTec on the Level 3 Bakery programme.

Realising her passion for hospitality, Vicki continued her study progressing to Level 4 and then moving to the Hospitality Management programme in 2019. She studied under tutor Robert Bock who, to this day remains a friend and mentor. Vicki says she loved learning all of his tips and tricks, like how to roll out pastry by putting your body weight on it and says she still refers to her WelTec notes when she’s working out!

Before Vicki decided to study at WelTec, she studied Criminology, and Law at Wellington’s Victoria University. She graduated, and then halfway through pursuing the Law degree, she realised she’d prefer baking as a career. After studying at Vic she worked as both a library assistant and a music teacher.

Then one day she saw the Level 3 Baking course advertised on Instagram and left her job and went back to school.

Baking has always been her passion, and the WelTec Baking programme let her explore her passion for food and baking while giving her a technical foundation in a supportive learning environment that would eventually help her get a job upon graduation.

Studying at WelTec gave her the opportunity to dip her toe in the deep waters of hospitality before jumping straight into a job.

Vicki loves being a chef, and particularly a pastry chef, because no two days are the same. From creating private dinners at Government House or working the line at Jano Bistro, Vicki continues to learn and develop her skills with each shift. What she loves the most is interacting with customers who love her food. Never one to rest, she also runs her own side hustle making cakes.

Vicki says her WelTec classes were small, so she was able to work in groups and pairs, making strong connections with her classmates. The examination part of the programme really helped Vicki and her classmates push themselves to grow as students and professionals.

During her courses, she was able to get a lot of industry experience. She helped run a café on campus; learned how to make chocolate from bean to bar at Baron Hasselhof’s in Berhamphore, and studied with a pastry chef in Auckland who was on the NZ Olympic Pastry Team.

Vicki also had work experience with Giappo, a famous ice cream maker and at Wellington restaurant, Logan Brown - all thanks to her connections through WelTec. With all of this experience under her belt, Vicki plans to one day open a dessert bar named after her grandmother.

Her advice for aspiring chefs is to use your time in the kitchen to make mistakes. “Every failure is an opportunity to do better next time.”

Bistro 52 connects WelTec students with VIPs

WelTec student Jess Hoskings at Bistro 52’s reopening.

WelTec’s training restaurant Bistro 52 reopened its doors mid October to the public for lunch and dinner sittings, for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdowns, and students buzzed with excitement at the opportunity to design menus, cook, and serve customers in a fine dining environment.

And were a little nervous too, to know that future employers could be among the invited guests.

Examples of the menu, which also offered a student-inspired wine match included: coconut and panko crumbed squid with sriracha mayo; turmeric roasted fish with pickled cucumber, cauliflower puree, and charred broccoli, and crispy churros with warm fudge chocolate sauce - just to name a few!

Programme Manager for WelTec’s School of Hospitality, Ben Shadbolt, invited hospitality professionals to dine at Bistro 52 to meet and experience the up-and-coming talent soon headed for the Wellington foodie scene.

“Hospitality is one of those sectors where it is often ‘who you know’ that will help you get your first job. Connecting industry with our students is a way they can start building connections for the future.

“Students do not typically frequent Wellington’s top hotels and fine dining restaurants and often feel intimidated by these environments, so we thought we would bring the movers and shakers directly to them, and help bridge that gap.”