Professional development opportunities help chefs set their sights on next level

Foodservice Rep takes a look at some of the opportunities which exist for professional development and further education among chefs – from participation in culinary competitions like the long-established Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat Award and Chef of the Year, to the industry’s leading foodservice mentoring program for apprentice chefs, Proud to Be a Chef - this year marking its quarter-century milestone.

The Australian Culinary Federation runs a number of highly regarded chef competitions, with ACF Vice President André Kropp and General Manager Deb Foreman heavily involved in the administration and judging.

“Last year saw an increase in entries for Nestlé Golden Chefs and I think the standard was very high everywhere, and we’re expecting great things for the 60th year in 2025,” Deb tells us. “Last year’s competitors seemed extremely food savvy – they knew the places they should be dining out, they were well researched and highly articulate about their recipes.”

Nestlé golden chef’s hat winner archer houghton (holding award, centre) with fellow participants

Competing can really open doors for you – it allows you to broaden your horizons by getting involved with the judges as well as your peers
— André Kropp, Australian Culinary Federation

Deb adds the ACF’s Secondary Schools Challenge is set to “go gangbusters” this year – “For the first time it’s going to be run across all eight of our regions.” The National Apprentice Competition has announced its dates for this year – “it’s an opportunity for all category years to compete; we take pride in the fact you can be 45 and competing, there’s a bracket for everybody. We find quite often we get competitors who’ve only been at TAFE for three weeks – it gives them encouragement and is a great confidence-builder.”

André KROPP (R) INTERvIEWED BY GLENN FLOOD AT FINE FOOD 2024

André says there are two schools of thought on the value of chefs’ competitions. “Some chefs say they’re a waste of time and although I think that’s a naïve way of looking at it, I also understand a little where they’re coming from because they’re so focused on making a living and building a reputation for themselves. But competing can really open doors for you – it allows you to broaden your horizons by getting involved with the judges as well as the peers you’re competing against. There are always head chefs and executive chefs walking around these events who might say ‘That person has some talent, I might go have a chat to them later’.

“It’s not just what you put on a plate to win a competition but also how you present yourself to the broader public which can become your stepping stone to a future. I’ve been in competitions all my life and judged them too, and even as a judge you’re engaging with people and seeing what they’ve learned – it’s networking and it’s educating yourself. There will always be naysayers, but I think if you have an interest you should come down to the shows where our competitions are held and see what it’s all about – ask questions, because you may not be ready yet, but perhaps in a few years you will be.”

Deb adds: “Fine Food Australia is our biggest competitive venue – we have 17 kitchens and run 15 individual competitions plus five team events, so there’s something for every kind of chef.”

CHEF OF THE YEAR 2024 winner TOMMY PROSSER receives his trophy and prize money

Chef of the Year pits chefs against each other and the clock

A separate event, and one of the most prestigious on the foodservice calendar, is Chef of the Year, which pits chefs against each other and the clock in a test of creativity, culinary knowledge and ingenuity. The entrants are whittled down to 32 finalists who have one hour to prepare two dishes from a mystery box of ingredients.

Event organiser Peter Wright says, “Chef of the Year is really booming – it’s the only event in Australia where you have to cook more than once to actually win, as opposed to the traditional format where the highest score gets a gold medal. There’s four people per heat and you have to win the heat to get into the semifinals, then the top two in the semis go into the final – which means if you win, you’ve cooked three times over two days, and because it’s only an hour it’s pretty intense. You only get told what your ingredients are 20 minutes before you cook – that’s your set up time, then you have to do four serves of an entrée and main, including plating, all within the hour. We’ve been inundated with interest from competitors, judges and sponsors alike which shows we’re doing the right thing because a lot of people want to be involved.”

Competing gives you a thrill because it’s not just about winning, it’s about challenging yourself
— Chef Of the Year organiser Peter Wright

Now a judge, Peter was an active competitor in the first 20 years of his career – “I saw it as a chance to pit myself against my peers outside of the normal work environment. Chefs are competitive by nature – most are entrepreneurial and love the thrill of achieving something, whether it’s putting a new dish on the menu or getting a pat on the back from your head chef. Competing gives you a thrill because it’s not just about winning, it’s about challenging yourself, exposing yourself, saying ‘This is me – watch out because I’m pretty good!’ and it can bolster your career.”

Leading mentoring program celebrates quarter century

Apprentice chefs have a terrific opportunity for professional development by participating in Proud to Be a Chef, the longstanding mentoring program run by Anchor Food Professionals which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Each February 32 finalists travel to Melbourne for a four-day, all expenses paid experiential journey of masterclasses, skills workshops, dining at prominent restaurants and invaluable networking opportunities with peers and industry leaders.

PROUD TO BE A CHEF 2025 MENTORS - GEORGE CALOMBARIS, MARK NORMOYLE, ANGELICA IULIANO

Resident mentor and Anchor Food Professionals Executive Chef Mark Normoyle says, “Much of the success of our program is down to the amazing guest mentors – joining me each year as resident mentor are two industry leading chefs; we try to find one with a higher profile and another who is five to eight years into their career, so our finalists can look at them and see what is achievable with perseverance. This year we have George Calombaris and Angelica Iuliano – George actually won the program in 1999, so it’s perfect timing to bring him back for the 25th year. Angelica is a great example of where our apprentices could be a few years from now.”

We have people from every state and territory in Australia this year, and we also have extra mentors on board
— Proud to be a Chef Resident Mentor Mark Normoyle

Last year Proud to Be a Chef attracted a record number of applicants for the 2025 program. “What’s helped with that is we simplified the application process,” Mark explains. “It’s now more mobile friendly, in line with how younger people communicate; we wanted to make it quick and simple.

PROUD TO BE A CHEF 2024 FINALISTS

“I think what sets Proud to Be a Chef apart is that, although the finalists have a cook-off on the last day, it’s not a cooking competition as such but a mentoring program. And the mentoring begins as soon as we’ve picked the finalists – I’m currently mentoring them on how to develop their recipe ideas step by step, how to standardise these for a kitchen, and how to go from a concept to something that can go into a cookbook for another chef to replicate. Come February, our 32 finalists will be flying in to Melbourne – we have people from every state and territory in Australia this year, and we also have extra mentors on board, including Anchor Executive Chefs from New Zealand and Singapore, so our finalists will get to rub shoulders with these amazing chefs from overseas. 

“The support we get from TAFE around the country is also a big part of our success. For this year we’ve had apprentices from around 30 different TAFEs – the teachers there are able to identify the kids with great attitude and potential and that’s what this program is all about. It’s not necessarily the person who’s the most talented chef but the one with the best attitude for a potentially bright future.”

PROUD TO BE A CHEF 2024 WINNERS ALAN ANDREWS (BEST SAVOURY DISH), GEORGIA MANGANAS (CULINARY SCHOLARSHIP/OVERALL WINNER) AND ALFRED BARRETTO (BEST SWEET DISH)

Victoria Landells, Director of Foodservice for Anchor Food Professionals, describes Proud to Be a Chef as “an investment in the future of the industry”, adding “We want to make a difference to the industry and to individuals, that’s really important to who we are as a business. Each year’s program is a year in the making – in fact we’re already planning for 2026 before we’ve even executed 2025’s events; there’s a lot of hands and brains and passion that comes together to make this happen for the industry and for our finalists.

“It’s amazing to have George Calombaris back as a mentor – it’s not the first time we’ve had a winner come back as a mentor, and the fact that former winners are willing to come back and give up their time to support the continuation of the program certainly testifies to the lifelong impact that Proud to Be a Chef can have.

I think of all 32 finalists each year as winners – they all get to benefit from the program, which is a once in a lifetime experience
— Victoria Landells, Anchor Food Professionals

“If you think about our other amazing winners, many have gone from strength to strength – our 2023 Culinary Scholarship winner Archer Houghton went on to win Nestlé Golden Chefs, and 2022’s winner Amber Heaton won last year’s Global Young Chefs Challenge. Matt McCartney, our winner in 2002 who returned as a mentor in 2014, was head chef at Lakehouse in Daylesford and Chef of the Year; Buddha Lowe, also a finalist, won two consecutive seasons of American Top Chef and is now an executive chef in New York. Giles Gabuttina, our 2017 winner, went on to win Nestlé Golden Chefs in 2019.

“I think of all 32 finalists each year as winners – they all get to benefit from the program, which is a once in a lifetime experience. The mentoring doesn’t stop at the end of the program – I know for a fact that Mark and our other mentors continue to engage with past finalists. Last year was my first year with Proud to Be a Chef and I was really delighted and amazed to see the relationships that are formed and how they keep going, and the ongoing impact they have on our finalists’ careers.”

Quiet achiever Archer goes from strength to strength

ARCHER HOUGHTON

Proud to Be a Chef 2023 winner Archer Houghton, who went on to win Nestlé Golden Chefs last year, is described by André Kropp as “a quiet achiever – he’s got some amazing skill and I think the competition really showcased that; from the trials through the regional and national finals, every now and then you find one little superstar and it’s usually someone who hasn’t really put themselves out there that much but been quite reserved. They have the right attitude to what they do and the skills they’ve learnt through their mentors, and Archer is a great example of that.”

Twenty-one year old Archer has been cooking from a young age – “I used to cook for my grandparents and later my mum started to show me what to do,” he says. “Then I decided to follow it further and did hospitality during school at Eltham College in Victoria, before going on to my apprenticeship at Mercer’s.” He will complete the apprenticeship next month.

Every now and then you find one little superstar and it’s usually someone who hasn’t really put themselves out there that much but been quite reserved

It was Stephen Mercer, owner of Mercer’s, who encouraged Archer to take the next steps on his professional development journey: “Stephen’s won a lot of competitions and he encouraged me to get more involved,” Archer says. “I first entered the AusTAFE Competition, which is pretty hard, but it’s one every Mercer’s apprentice has gone through. Stephen encourages it because it pushes you to do your own thing – to be creative, connect with other apprentices that you wouldn’t otherwise, and it also teaches you skills like work-life balance. It shows you’re willing to go above and beyond, not just cook in a kitchen every day.”

Archer says Proud to Be a Chef was also a great experience – “It was so much fun to meet other apprentices, learn from the mentors and not have the stress of constant cooking. It’s designed to be more social and a wide ranging program of skills learning, the masterclasses are very valuable and you’re always connecting with the mentors outside of the program as well as past finalists. I won the Proud to Be a Chef culinary scholarship and once I finish my apprenticeship next month I have to make plans where I’m going to go and do it.”

Being named Nestlé Golden Chef of the Year for 2024 came as a surprise as it was Archer’s first time competing in the event. “That was really high pressure,” he recalls. “You know exactly what you need to do, you’ve seen the past competitions and the alumni and what they’ve achieved – it really focuses your creativity to use the sponsor products in a way you may not have before. It’s a fun experience despite the pressure, but that’s the life of a chef!”