Community
27 December, 2024
Eunsol ‘proud to be a chef’
TAFE Cairns campus cookery student Eunsol Huh has been selected among hundreds of applicants to join the prestigious ‘Proud to be a Chef’ program where he’ll join 31 emerging chefs for a once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience in February 2025.
Having always considered himself a creative person, 31-year-old Eunsol Huh – a TAFE student from South Korea – found in cooking the perfect outlet for all his creativity.
Mr Huh, who’s currently studying a certificate IV in cookery and a diploma in hopsitality management, said he was proud to had been chosen to be part of the ‘Proud to be a Chef’ mentoring program.
The 32 finalists will travel to Melbourne – all expenses paid – and attend masterclasses, field tours and exclusive networking events while learning from renowned chefs like George Calombaris (Proud to be a Chef’s first-ever winner in 1999) and Angelica Iuliano of MoVida.
“I arrived in Cairns in July last year and have been studying at TAFE since July this year and I love it, it’s what I was looking for,” he said.
“I have studied cookery before but I feel like it wasn’t the right fit. I think TAFE offers a lot of practical experience, great chefs, great staff and an amazing kitchen.
“Someone from ‘Proud to be a Chef’ came to talk to us about the program and I thought, ‘Why not give it a try?’, so I decided to apply.
“For the competition you need to present your own recipe and I presented an aglio e olio pasta, which is a very traditional Italian dish, mixed with Asian fusion ingredients, including mackerel.
“Not all academies have opportunities like this, so I’m very grateful to TAFE for this opportunity.”
TAFE cookery teacher and chef Alan Beggs said they were extremely proud to see an international student like Mr Huh thrive in the cookery program.
“Sol is a great student. He has a real passion for cooking, which is essential, he cares deeply about what he does. When he gets things wrong, he gets upset and tries over and over again, which is a great sign because it means he wants to be excellent,” he said.
Mr Huh encouraged people to join TAFE and make the best of opportunities like the ‘Proud to be a Chef’ mentorship program.
“I consider myself very creative but I tried different creative outlets like music and painting and I was bad at them. I think the kitchen was the environment that gave me the opportunity to really explore my creativity and be great at it,” he said.
“If you’re interested in working in the kitchen I think TAFE Cairns campus is the place to go and don’t be afraid to try for opportunities like this.”
