Ange from NRDA delivered a hospitality themed day in partnership with local business The Styx and NMIT.
Dana and her staff from popular Nelson eating spot The Styx created a fun and educational agenda of activities showcasing the different roles in hospitality (kitchen hand, chef, pastry, barista, bartender, manager, waiter, event management and marketing). Students from six local Nelson Tasman high schools got some hands-on experience creating the day’s pizza dough (and then topping it), creating mocktails, coffee practice, carrying plates and setting up events. It was well worth the effort when they got to eat their pizza creations for lunch!
Next stop was NMIT – students learned about study options in both front of house and in the kitchen. They were welcomed by Chef Chris Fortune and experienced creating a beautiful choux pastry dessert in the form of profiterole chouquettes and eclairs with Chef Merouane Rahal. These were creatively decorated with mirror glazes in chocolate, plum and pistachio and piped full of decadent crème patisserie then topped with more chocolate in various forms, meringue, and praline. The students worked collaboratively and headed home with a small box of goodies. A delicious afternoon was had by all.
With great feedback from the students saying they enjoyed the hands-on and practical side of the day; we hope to see them take the next step in their career path!
