Natalie Moore of Redcliffe named 1998 Apprentice Chef of the Year

8/6/98

Natalie Moore, of Redcliffe, has been named 1998 Apprentice Chef of the Year by Employment and Training Minister Cheryl Edwardes. Mrs Edwardes congratulated Ms Moore on winning the prestigious award from a field of 100 apprentice chefs.

The Minister said the competition was an important grounding for young Western Australian apprentice chefs.

"The experience gained here will help mould the apprentices into the high quality chefs we have come to expect and enjoy from the industry in this State," Mrs Edwardes said.

"You need only look to previous winners to see that the Apprentice Chef of the Year competition is a great springboard to an exciting and rewarding career."

Last year's Apprentice Chef of the Year Tracy Paul is now working in the Bahamas, and runner-up Bianca Cavaralli was part of the Australian National Culinary team that came second at world championships in Singapore last year - the entire team was made up of Western Australian chefs.

Mrs Edwardes said WA produced world-class chefs because of partnerships between industry and training bodies.

"WA produces chefs of such high quality mainly because of the outstanding training provided by the range of training providers and industry," she said.

"The cooking industry should be praised for its commitment to training."

At present there are about 700 to 800 registered apprentice chefs in WA, with about 550 of these in the metropolitan area.

Mrs Edwardes said employment in the hospitality industry had grown 16.5 per cent in the last five years, and more than fifty per cent in the past decade.

The Apprentice Chef of the Year competition, held at Fremantle TAFE, was organised by the Association of Professional Cooks and Apprentices. Entrants were assessed on their practical skills by a panel of judges which included the association's vice president Len Austin.

Winners from this competition will represent W.A. in the national competition, to be held in Hobart in August.

Media contact: Nicole Trigwell (08) 9421 7777