Too many cooks won't spoil broth

UCOL's cooking school revived

Aspiring top chefs from around the Wairarapa have ensured the revival of UCOL's professional cookery programmes.

Late last year UCOL Wairarapa campus manager Angela Hewitt warned the cookery programmes would only go ahead if there was sufficient community support, expressed in enrolments.

"We are delighted to say the class is full and there is a waiting list," says Angela.

"The community obviously recognised the programme as an asset and have responded in the best possible way."

The cookery programme was suspended a year ago because of declining student numbers.

"We really believed in the cookery programme and have worked hard to promote it as a unique qualification that UCOL Wairarapa can offer and deliver at a local level," says Angela.

Masterton-born celebrity chef Al Brown is "ecstatic" the Wairarapa community has got behind UCOL's professional cookery programme.

Al presented a day of public cooking demonstrations in October as part of the promotion of the school of cookery and its programme for 2010. Al is co-owner of the Wellington's Logan Brown Restaurant and Bar, supreme winner in the 2009 NZ Cuisine "Restaurant of the Year" awards.

He also co-presents the popular TV series Hunger for the Wild and recently launched his book Go Fish.

"The Wairarapa region grows great produce, now there will be more chefs to make good use of it," says Al.

The certificate in professional cookery gets underway on March 1 at the Masterton campus's purpose-built kitchen facilities.

- Wairarapa News