A group of young men from Tumut Academy in NSW had the chance to learn from one of the best chefs in the business during a special NAIDOC Week event at Brungle Community Centre last week.
The six academy boys were lucky enough to support celebrity chef Mark Olive who was in town as part of the local community’s celebrations.
Mark, who is famous for using Australian Native ingredients, taught the boys plenty of new recipes which used kangaroo, local cheese, lemon aspen sauce (made from fruit native to the Daintree), barramundi, lemon myrtle chicken and the very popular native black pepper sauce with local beef.
The marquee event was attended by more than 170 guests and required the boys to prepare and serve lunch. For several of the boys, it was their time in a hospitality setting and they relished the opportunity to man the barbecues or serve hungry patron.
Evan Saunders from the Snowy Valleys Council said the boys worked extremely well with Mark.
“The amount of comments from guests in regards to how calming and confidence boosting Mark was with the boys was staggering,” Evan said. “It was almost like every person I spoke to mentioned it. The boys, in assisting Mark, really ensured that this day was a success.”
Evan said he’d witnessed the impact Clontarf was having on the lives of the young men who were enrolled.
“The impact the programme is having on these young fellas’ lives is truly priceless. Things like volunteering for community is so rewarding and character building. The lads were just absolutely shining today.”
Tumut Academy would like to thank Mark Olive, Snowy Valleys Council and Brungle Community Centre for providing the boys with this fantastic opportunity.
