TAFE New South Wales is collaborating with industry to upskill the next generation of chefs, providing lessons in preparing vegan and vegetarian far from high-profile cooking professionals.
As more Australians convert to alternative diets, the hospitality industry has seen increased demand to offer better dining experiences for vegans and vegetarians, including improved menu options and nutrient dense meals.
Research shows nearly 2.5 million Australians identify as vegan or vegetarian, numbers which have steadily increased over the past decade. There’s also a push for sustainable consumption, with a quarter of Australians saying they would like to cut back on animal products and eat more plant-based foods.
Gen Z has the highest prevalence of vegetarians and vegans across Australia; almost 10 percent of the generational cohort. This gives current cookery students at TAFE NSW a strong motivation to develop their skills to suit industry practice and consumer preferences.
To do this, TAFE NSW is working with industry professionals to create a state-wide, virtual learning initiative – filming vegan and vegetarian video recipes to be available to Commercial Cookery students across the state.
Celebrity cook and author, Cherie Hausler, is one of the professionals helping with the course. She said that it is important to ensure the training young chefs receive genuinely reflects the needs of the industry and realistic Australian diets.
“Chefs need to know how to cook for these customers. It’s not as simple as steaming some greens; thoughtful vegetarian and vegan cooking considers blending flavours, textures, colours, and other elements just as with meals using animal protein,” said Hausler.
“It’s important the students can hit the ground running when they enter a professional setting, and that includes knowing how to create delicious vegetarian and vegan meals.”
Other high profile cookery professionals helping to upskill the next generation of chefs include Lorna Lee from the Australian Turf Club, and Nina Huynh and Elijiah Attard from Emerald Room.
TAFE NSW teacher, Crystal Browning, said she was proud and grateful for this opportunity to work with industry leaders to create in demand curriculum content for students.
“By developing these recipe videos, we can create bite sized, virtual learning to upskill our commercial cookery students across the state,” she said.
“Having industry professionals like Cherie here in the kitchen with us, we’re able to create engaging content that TAFE NSW students can access from anywhere, helping bring this crucial training to the hospitality industry state-wide.”
Shooting across five days, the videos will be shared as part of the Vegan and Vegetarian Cooking unit, which is compulsory for Certificate III Commercial Cookery courses, as well being available to students who are completing cookery qualifications.
