The search is on again for two Victorian cookery apprentices to receive the Thierry Marx Career Development Award which offers the chance to spend a month in France working with Thierry Marx—the 2006 Relais Gourmands French Chef of the Year.
Entries for the competition which is now in its second year close Friday, April 18. The competition is open to apprentices at any stage of their training whose employer is a member of Restaurant & Catering Victoria.
Todd Blake, CEO Restaurant & Catering Victoria said that after the success of the inaugural year of the competition in 2007 Restaurant & Catering Victoria is excited to see the 2008 program underway. “We are hoping to build the competition into one of the most sought after apprentice awards in Victoria,” he said.
Entrants to the competition must first fill in a form requiring responses from both the employer and the apprentice and also submit two recipes. Then the entrants are visited in their workplace by members of the judging panel allowing judges to assess their performance under everyday conditions.
The judging panel is made up of representative from the sponsors of the competition including Meat & Livestock Australia, Restaurant & Catering Victoria, Crown Melbourne, William Angliss Institute and Imports of France.
Restaurant & Catering Victoria’s Blake said the competition was not just about cooking skills. “The judges will be heavily influenced by the candidates softer skills including their attitude and passion for the industry.”
Finalists will be announced on April 28, and the two winners will be named on May 28. They will travel to France in early August for a month to work at Thierry Marx’s Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in Bordeaux.
Apprentices will receive airfares, accommodation and assistance with incidental expenses while their employers will receive an allowance to offset additional staffing costs while the apprentices are in France.
:In 2007, the inaugural year of the Award saw 3 young apprentices chosen to travel to France – the successful applicants were; Last years winners were Scott Stevenson (Pettavel Winery & Restaurant, Waurn Ponds), Samantha Gogol (Wild Oak Café, Olinda) and Jasper Avent (Lakehouse, Daylesford), all third year apprentices.
Gogol said the trip was “an exceptional life experience”. ‘It’s one I don’t think I will ever be able to recreate. To have had the opportunity to work under such a highly ranked chef as Thierry Marx was amazing,” she said. “The experience has changed my whole attitude and approach to cooking. It is a very rare opportunity to work in a restaurant were there is one chef for every customer and they only serve a maximum of 30 guests to ensure they receive the ultimate dining experience. I would encourage any apprentice to enter the competition as it will be a highlight of their career.”
For entry forms contact Philip Pearson at Restaurant & Catering Victoria on 03 9654 5866.