NZ celebrity chef showcase at WelTec

MEDIA RELEASE
July 2009

NZ celebrity chef showcase at WelTec

On July 3, Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) welcomed kiwi culinary guru Paul Jobin for a cookery demonstration as part of the Beef and Lamb Road Show. An expert in his field, Paul has won numerous culinary competitions and awards. With celebrity chef status in New Zealand, he has had recipes featured in magazines, demonstrated all over New Zealand and has appeared on television shows including Taste NZ, NZ on a Plate, World Cooking Theatre Masterclass and Best of New Zealand.

Paul currently works as a freelance chef and demonstrator, and was on campus working with WelTec Culinary Art students as they prepare for the National Culinary Fare and Torque d’Or competition in August. Paul provided the students with insight into what the judges are looking for and areas where they can work at maximising points during judging. Paul, who is no stranger to competition, says an event such as the National Culinary Fare can be incredibly intense and the key for success is to maintain focus.

“You never stop learning” he says, “chefs always have a new take on an old classic or a new approach.” Paul is a keen advocate for cooking simple food well, his cookbook, A Pinch of Salt celebrates the simplicity of iconic and modern New Zealand food. In his demonstration, he showcased how to use ingredients well to make something simple very special. “With something like a beef or lamb dish, that should be the star of the show - you don’t want to overcomplicate the garnish or sauce to overpower the main.”

One of the students present for the workshop, Zoe Lloyd got more than she bargained for when she was asked to assist Paul with his demonstration. “It was interesting to hear him talk in class. He’s very passionate about cooking. It was a bit daunting helping him with the kitchen session but it was a good experience and it would be good to have the opportunity to work with him again. He had a lot of ideas that we can all put to good use in the future.”

Chef Tutor, Martin Russek who assisted in the organisation of the visit believes the session was instrumental in the development of the next generation of top chefs. Martin recently trained a gold medal winner at the Wellington Culinary Fare and is now overseeing training for the next round of competitions. “The demonstration showcased a level of skill needed at competition level. Our students have been very successful with competitions to date and this is something that both the teaching staff and students want to continue. These types of sessions can only help our students become more successful and that’s what it’s all about.”

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