The future of hospitality looked shining bright at a recent dinner at Beenleigh State High School.
The Taste of Italy Dinner highlighted an amazing program where, under the mentorship of top Gold Coast chefs Grant Parry (RACV Royal Pines Resort) and Dayan Hartill-Law (HOTA/Palette), Beenleigh SHS’s Year 12 Hospitality class prepared a magnificent restaurant style dinner for approximately 50 guests. It’s a great example of local industry working with education to upskill future generations.
After having had Chef Matt Golinski as mentor for several years, this was the first dinner prepared under the new mentorship arrangement.
“We came in not knowing what we were going to be working with, however we have worked with nine very talented kids over the past two days, culminating in in the Taste of Italy dinner,” says Chef Grant Parry. “We couldn’t be prouder.”
The dinner prepared and served by students was no mean feat, with each course paired with an accompanying wine:
* Handmade focaccia and antipasto
* Vitello Tonnata (a classic Italian dish served in a modern style)
* Ricotta & Egg Ravioli (a starring dish displaying students’ high technical proficiency)
* Tagliata of Beef Scotch (exceptional beef from Teys served in a Northern Italian style)
* Tiramisu (served in the viral Tik Tok manner).
“The mentoring program gives students the opportunity to connect with first class chefs, exposing them to real world experience, while leaving them free to learn and get feedback,” Matthew Morgan, Principal of Beenleigh SHS, tells us.
“It helps them build capacity, develop routines, gain purpose and pathways as well as a glimpse of what it would look like to be in employment,” he adds.
Students, such as Christine, who is in Year 12, find that the school’s programs help them gain employment: “I was successful in gaining a job at The Cheesecake Shop. It really helped that I had gained Certificate II in Hospitality at school and could use that in my resumé. I had also built my hospitality skills at school and by doing work placement in a local café. Now I go straight to work from school several days a week to complete my three-hour shift.”
The Taste of Italy dinner was the first of other dinners to follow, one per term, culminating in a Paddock to Plate event later in the year involving local food industries such as Teys and Gold Coast Tiger Prawns as well as produce from the school’s own farm.
Beenleigh State High School has several crossovers with industry through hospitality, agriculture and food production.
The school’s Hotel School coordinates work experience through SeaWorld and Royal Pines Resort, with students interacting with all resort departments including engineering.
The well-established farm on school property produces honey, local produce and cattle, with the lamb and beef raised processed by Teys, the largest local employer in Beenleigh. The school’s crossover with Soapbox Beer also sees by-product from the brewing process used for cattle feed on the school’s farm.
The school’s VET Hospitality and Tourism programs prepare students for employment, with about 70 students in Hospitality alone. Trainees complete Hospitality certificates, with training through industry including Gold Coast hotels and resorts and Club Beenleigh.
With several sectors of industry and education involved, it’s great to see a local community banding together to ensure pathways for youth employment. This is an investment not only in the hospitality industry but also in our future generation.
