Awakening a world of gastronomic adventures

person tending cabbages at farmLaura started her culinary journey after a brief stint on My Kitchen Rules, where she appeared with brother Mitch.

Although she didn’t win the popular TV show, her desire to become a great chef was ignited, so much so that Laura quit university where she was studying linguistics and switched to commercial cookery at TAFE.

‘Although I was happy studying linguistics, I thought, why am I not doing what I truly love, and that is cooking? So, I decided to leave university and enrol at Chisholm, to learn all the necessary skills to become a great chef.’

‘At first I needed a lot of guidance, but I’ve found a great mentor at Chisholm, and am learning everything I need to become a great chef.’

Since starting with Chisholm, Laura is learning both in the on-campus kitchens, and through exposure to competitions, with a recent gold medal titles at the regional AUSTAFE competition in August, and the overall gold winner at the state AUSTAFE competition held in September, 2017.

And to top that, she also has the Road to Lyon in her sights though her partnership as commis Chef to Michael Cole (Head Chef at Georgie Bass), as they take on round two of the most prestigious gastronomy event in the world, competing at the semi-finals in Singapore in 2018.

Laura’s passion for food started a young girl, where fresh ingredients were at the heart of home cookery, with mum’s influence.

‘My mum had a nursery, and we learned a lot from her, from growing, picking and cooking with fresh ingredients. It was a large part of growing up and is throughout my family. I am passionate about knowing where food comes from and using fresh ingredients…. At Chisholm, we have a partnership with Torello Farm, and get to use ingredients produced on the farm on a weekly basis with weekly deliveries of vegetable boxes.’

‘Tim from Torello Farm was in the kitchen at Chisholm, making pickles, and he had some of the most amazing kale I’d ever seen. I thought, I must have some of that and use it in my next dish.’

Kale's been the basis of Laura’s next competition dish, where she has layered other ingredients to create a colourful and fluid dish; a modern masterpiece, with earthiness at its core.

With talent, commitment a sense of focus and flair in the kitchen, Laura is setting the bar very high, and through constantly pushing herself out of her comfort zone, she is proving that being a truly great chef is only a brief passage of time away.