“As well as being a fantastic series for the public to attend, it provides a valuable way for our students to work with some of the country’s legendary chiefs. This year we have Simon Gault Kate Fay and Matt Lambert all involved in the series. They’re also all AUT alumni with various other connections with the Hospitality and Tourism school.”
Students get to see how the chefs work in real time, says Richardson. “It’s a chance to watch and learn how they create different dishes, how they plate up and more. It’s an invaluable experience for the students to put on an event like this, and to be handling real life planning and running to times. We do all these activities in class, but there’s nothing like putting lessons into practice during a real event to create learning opportunities.”
Collaboration with other departments and institutions is key to the event’s success, such as graphic design input from AUT’s Design School and floristry creations from students at MIT in South Auckland.
Richardson says a highlight of the Winter Series is the opportunity for students to show off what the student can do at a really high level. “Our students get to see their work appreciated by other people, which is part of the joy of being a chief”
An example of this will be the delectable selection of sweet and savoury patisserie items that will be presented by AUT Patisserie Diploma students following the screening of Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles.
Some events in the series are already sold out. “The events are filling up really quickly which is great”, says Richardson. It’s an exciting moment to re-engage in person and bring the challenging off-campus learning time to an end.
See here for booking details and more.
Also: Save the date: AUT Culinary Arts and Gastronomy Winter Series 2022
