Programs - Hospitality

We are all ready for a new year, hopefully without interruptions in 2022.

VET Kitchen Operations (Karla Thomas) students are doing a fantastic job, applying their newly acquired skills in the Graduates’ restaurant. 

It will be a great year ahead for our VET students to manage, serve and cook in the Graduates’ training restaurant, including hosting our popular ‘Christmas in June’ services, with students and staff not holding back on effort and enthusiasm!  We will be able to host some restaurant evenings for returning customers, some of whom missed out on last year’s bookings. 

VET Hospitality (Sally Taylor and Sheratein Taukapo) students will be looking after our guests again this year. 

Their dedication will have them successfully attain the theoretical knowledge: these attributes have will be applied to the Service Sessions in The Graduate’s Restaurant, displaying conscientiousness, resilience, and attention to detail – great qualities for Front of House Restaurant Staff and life skills.  During these sessions, not only the application of serving customers, responsible service of alcohol, financial transactions and espresso making and food and beverage knowledge, will be developed, students also have opportunities to improve their communication, organisational and interpersonal skills with customers and colleagues. 

The Patisserie (Kees van der Laan) team has been busy practicing their skills too, and pastries, cakes and breads have been created by students in the course.  During Term 1 most were VET Patisserie sessions with students attending in class has been productive, interesting, and entertaining.

Food Technology - Ms Jeffree has been busy as well, teaching her junior Food Technology classes for the year and Ms Thomas with the senior classes. The Community Garden is still a very well utilised space and great for outdoor teaching space.  Hopefully with an uninterrupted year next year we will be able to get the community garden back into full swing.

The ACF - Australian Culinary Federation competition was hosted by St John's for local schools to participate.  St John's team consisted of Aiden Cachart and Cindy Mascuilli and was under the leadership of Ms. Thomas (Chef Karla).  They worked hard to perfect their dishes to get through to the national finals.  The finals were to be run in Adelaide last year, with all other state winners, but due to Covid this has been postponed to 2023.  We wish them all the best for their futures, they excelled in this competition and in their prospective VET subjects.

VCAL- in Term 4, St John's plan to offer all VCAL students the chance to gain statement of attainments in RSA - responsible service of alcohol, and FSA - Use hygienic practices for Food Safety (Food Handlers).  These are great job-ready certificates to have to secure all types of employment.  The hospitality industry will be about to get really back up and running and surely there will be many, many jobs available in the industry from the end of 2021 and moving forward.

We all happy to be back at the College to enjoy a full year at school in 2022.