Emma-Louise Ball
Emma-Louise Ball started her culinary arts journey as a high school student and has worked her way from a Secondary Tertiary Partnership course to a Diploma in Culinary Arts.
Emma-Louise has her sights set on exploring every opportunity presented to her and hopes to gain diverse culinary experiences in different countries.
She has long been passionate about cooking and her journey began in high school with a Level 2 hospitality course at Toi Ohomai, where her passion for culinary arts grew. This positive experience led her to return to continue her studies, hoping to expand her career opportunities in the culinary industry.
Emma-Louise says she finds the Level 5 course both informative and enjoyable.
"It’s very helpful, informational, fun, and exciting," she says.
One of her most memorable experiences so far is participating in the Nestle Golden Chef Hat Competition. As it was her first cooking competition, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she says the judges ensured that all participants were well-informed and comfortable.
"The judges were all so welcoming and made sure to answer any questions we had to make sure we knew exactly what to do."
For the competition, Emma-Louise prepared Chicken ballotine stuffed with duxelles and spinach, served with kumara fondant and roasted Swiss brown mushrooms, topped with spicy Buitoni Sugo Al Pomodoro and Maggi Coconut Milk sauce, and finished with crispy shaved kumara chips and classic Maggi Gluten-Free Chicken Gravy. Her dessert was poached rhubarb tart with torched meringue, served with Buondi coffee jelly and finished with Nestlé Royale and Buondi mocha sauce.
Her dishes earned her a bronze medal and Emma-Louise says she was proud of her achievement and says she was blown away with the support from her tutors.
"They were always encouraging us and giving us advice on how to improve our dishes," she says.
Their guidance and encouragement have been crucial in her development as a budding chef.
Emma-Louise hopes to work overseas, gaining diverse culinary experiences in different countries. Her dream is to gather as much worldly experience as possible, enhancing her skills and broadening her culinary horizons.
“If you have a dream to be a chef, do the course. I have made some amazing memories this past year and a half and made some lifelong friends. You learn all sorts of dishes from all over the world and gain lots of skills.
“There are so many opportunities available from doing this course, like taking part in heaps of functions for the school and getting to do competitions."