Cooking with native Australian ingredients is becoming more and more popular in contemporary cuisine and is a key topic in the food technology curriculum in secondary schools.
Outback Chef has a long-standing business and many years of experience in supplying native Australian ingredients to the restaurant trade and to culinary schools both across Australia and internationally.
SGBCLLEN has partnered with Outback Chef and their new enterprise at the Wild Food Café and Farm at Rhyll to support our local schools to raise student awareness of not only of native ingredients and their place in contemporary cuisines, but employment pathways and opportunities within the hospitality sector. In late October 2020 Outback Chef hosted an in-field excursion for students from Wonthaggi Secondary College at their Rhyll property.
The Year 10 Food Tech students experienced:
· a tour of the Farm exploring, and taking samples, of the many plants that are indigenous to the area
· an overview of the sustainable practices of the farm, particularly in water management
· a talk by apprentice chef and former student of Wonthaggi Secondary College Abbie, about her career pathway
· a very tasty lunch comprising a meat pastie with native pepper & thyme, aniseed myrtle sausages in lemon myrtle damper as well as lemon myrtle shortbread which was enjoyed by all! (recipes available at https://www.outbackchef.com.au/recipes/)
· suggestions about ingredients could be used in their upcoming recipe assignment
Both SGBCLLEN and Wild Food Farm were delighted to finally have the students onsite for an outdoor excursion after months of virtual learning!