THE WOODHOUSE restaurant in central Bendigo can lay claim to employing the cream of up-and-coming culinary talent.
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On Wednesday night its second-year apprentice chef, Timandra Christansen, won Bendigo TAFE hospitality workplace based training Apprentice of the Year Award in the TAFE’s 2013 hospitality awards.
It’s the second year in a row The Woodhouse has employed an Apprentice of the Year - last year Damian Hastings won the same award and he still works there.
The Woodhouse manager Paul Pitcher said Timandra’s win was wonderful and well-deserved.
“It’s usually an award that a third-year apprentice would win so she’s done really well,” he said.
“She is very committed and passionate about her job.
"She makes all the desserts at The Woodhouse and we are quite recognised for our desserts.”
He said The Woodhouse put a lot of effort into training its young apprentices to be quality chefs.
Bendigo TAFE culinary teacher and judge Nicole Mynard said Timandra had stood out among all the other “on-the-job” apprentices.
Timandra had all the skills and attributes of a good chef, she said.
“She’s very pedantic and particular but she also completes everything on time,” Ms Mynard said.
“She’s very professional, very passionate and ambitious and she has a great attitude.”
Knowledge, skills and attitude were also criteria for the other apprentice winners.
Tetiana Kovalova, who works at the All Seasons Hotel, won the school-based first-year Apprentice of the Year; Makala Poole, from Woodend, who works at the Victoria Hotel in Woodend, won the school-based second-year hospitality Apprentice Award; and Jo Evans, from Bendigo, who works at the Hibernian Hotel, won school-based third-year Apprentice of the Year.
Bendigo TAFE’s hospitality department also gave awards for professionalism, potential and ambition to Angela Dodd, who works at Masons of Bendigo; Ashley Hands, who works at the Maryborough Highland Society, and Daniel Hurle, who works at Wine Bank.