Did you know SKYCITY Auckland runs New Zealand’s largest chef apprenticeship programme? We’re committed to training today’s youth to become tomorrow’s culinary stars! We employ up to 30 apprentices to learn and work alongside our experienced chefs across 20 kitchens serving a range of culinary experiences.
Now into his second year of our three year programme, 18 year old Apprentice Chef Alex Southwick sat down with us to share his experience so far and gave us a bit of a ‘progress report’ on his learning...
Tell us about your role as an Apprentice Chef.
Since I joined SKYCITY’s programme 15 months ago, I’ve been rotated around a number of kitchens including Hot Production, Pastry, Conventions, 24/7 (SKYCITY’s employee cafe) and now I’m back in the Conventions kitchen again. We rotate every three months as part of our learning so we get to work with different chefs, menus and culinary styles.
What happens in your first year?
In my first year, it was about the basics... knife skills, methods of cooking, hygiene and food safety, and making recipes in bulk. You learn a lot when you need to chop 20kg of onions in one go, make 200 litres of soup and bake 50kg of chocolate brownies! I can now chop 20kg of carrots in about 15 minutes (or one every five seconds).
Then there’s the study component which is constant across all three years of the programme. There’s lots of study and classroom time in order to pass my papers. I recently achieved 100% and 92% on two papers, putting me at the top of the class, which I’m really proud of.
How’s your second year going?
Great! Second year Apprentices get more responsibility and I’ve been able to run the food component of smaller events (up to 200 people), managing all the prep and cooking. Second year Apprentices also get to guide and instruct the first year Apprentices, so we’re passing on what we’ve learned.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I just love cooking! I’m constantly learning something new. Even chopping 20kg of onions day in, day out... there’ll be something new I learn from that each time.
Each kitchen brigade I’ve worked with feels like a second family. Especially the Conventions chefs I work with at the moment; we all pitch in to help each other out whenever the pressure’s on. There’s just a great “family” vibe and we recently won SKYCITY Auckland’s ‘Team of the Year’ at the Quest for the Best awards because of the way we work together and get the job done.
What are some of the challenges in your role?
Sometimes the hours can be quite long, but I get through that because I know I’m doing something that I love. I was part of the team who catered the ASB Tennis Classic in January and that was really full-on! Long days and a huge volume of food... challenging but also really rewarding to look back and think that I achieved that.
What is it about SKYCITY that makes for a great place to work and learn?
I can’t think of many places in New Zealand that have the range of ethnic styles or the quantities that SKYCITY has, so it’s been a great place to learn on this kind of scale. There’s lots of support here too from the chefs and from other Apprentices.
The employee benefits are pretty good too! We get discounts at SKYCITY restaurants and I take full advantage of that... I really enjoy eating at Depot, Masu and The Grill. Our chef whites get laundered for us each day; it’s great being able to drop off my uniform at the end of a shift and pick up a clean one the next day.
What would you say to anyone considering becoming an Apprentice Chef?
You HAVE to love food and cooking! Your passion to become a chef has to be so strong, otherwise you won’t last. I found my passion for food while I was young and now, when I arrive in the kitchen, I don’t feel like I’m at “work”. I’m doing something I love and that’s the motivation for me. Being a chef isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle.
What do you get up to outside of work?
I’m involved in surf lifesaving in Omaha when my roster allows, and I also compete in IRB Racing competitions. I do a lot of fishing and diving and I use my catch to experiment and come up with new dishes. I’m really into paddock-to-plate cooking, and I enjoy photography.
Thanks for sharing your story Alex!
If you’re interested in becoming an Apprentice Chef at SKYCITY Auckland, we open applications each year around July/August. Sign up for an email alert at www.skycitycareers.com so we can notify you when the next intake is happening.
