South Morang apprentice chef, Alan Andrews went from a last minute applicant to award winning icon.
He applied for the Proud To Be A Chef program thinking that he had “nothing to lose”.
“This was the first time I applied for this competition. I was pretty confident in my cooking skills, but I was unsure about getting through because apparently 250 people applied for the program,” he said.
He was announced as the 2024 savoury winner for Australia’s premier foodservice mentoring program.
Proud To Be A Chef is a mentoring program that is dedicated to nurturing the next of culinary talent in Australia.
The program offers 32 apprentice chefs a unique opportunity to advance their careers through intensive mentorship, masterclasses and skills workshops.
This year’s mentor chefs and judging panel included Proud to be a Chef resident mentor and Anchor Food Professionals executive chef Mark Normoyle, executive pastry chef and Kōri Ice Cream founder Joane Yeoh and Omnia Bistro and Yugen Dining and Tea Bar executive chef Stephen Nairn.
As part of his winning dish, Mr Andrews made lamb backstrap with potato fondant, celeriac puree, glazed shallots and charred leek.
His recipe was hailed as a dish that Mr Normoyle would serve in any restaurant, where every single component was well-executed and used an old technique in a modern way.
When Mr Andrews excelled in his favourite category, he described it as one of those moments he was lost for words.
“Savoury is my main thing! If I get through a competition and win the savoury, I’ll be happy. So when they announced, ‘the best savoury goes to Alan Andrews’, I was like, ‘me?’
For Mr Andrews, the real value in the program was in the connections, experiences and mentorship.
“It’s one of those programs I wish I could go back to again this year but I can’t because it’s only one time,” he said.
“I’ve met so many people through this program, it’s just meeting every apprentice, trainees around Australia. From networking we found out we’re on the same boat, we all have passion, we love cooking and hospitality. So when all that comes together, you just meet friends and you’re like, ‘oh, you’re one of us’.
“I encourage an apprentice, first year, second year, third year, or just a trainee to apply because it’s more gaining, like the people you meet and networking which you can’t really buy.”
Meanwhile the award validated his career choice, broke cultural expectations and won his parents heart.
“My parents were very questionable about this career choice because you don’t see many chefs from South India at all, it’s always from the north, like the Punjab area or that side. We all do white collar jobs, like IT, accounting, all that stuff. So being a chef from South India, my parents were worried about it. They were like ‘oh no, Alan made a big mistake being a chef’.
“Then I found out my cooking comes from my family line, like my grandma and parents had a restaurant in India. My dad is also a good cook here, so cooking is a big part of my family generation.”
Entries are now open for the next intake of Proud to be a Chef.
Details: https://www.proudtobeachef.com/
