The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre is working to boost the number of female chefs in Australia's kitchens by taking part in an exclusive mentoring program.
The Centre is the first large-scale venue to join the New South Wales Government's "Tasting Success" initiative, which aims to encourage more women to train as chefs.
As part of the program, Tasting Success participant and second year TAFE student Rejieli James spent a week in the Centre's kitchens under the supervision of Chef Uwe Habermehl in July.
Rejieli, who is studying for a Commercial Cooking Certificate Level 3, is one of only nine students selected for this year's program and chose to do her training at the Centre as she wanted to learn more about restaurant quality food in a banqueting environment.
She described the experience as "a real eye-opener".
"It was inspiring. I couldn't believe the level of organisation required for a large venue - it's an incredible operation," Rejieli said.
During her time at the Centre, Rejieli was able to work on the planning and delivery of an international meetings industry dinner.
"I was very impressed to see how much knowledge the culinary staff have and the quality they deliver, as well as how creative they can be," she said.
A mother of two, with a double major in history and politics, 33-year-old Rejieli's decision to become a chef has been driven by her love of cooking.
She applied for the Tasting Success program, coordinated by the NSW Government, the Office for the Status of Women and TAFE - Sydney Institute, as she felt it would give her valuable insight, good contacts and a "real edge" when looking for work.
Centre Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said the Centre felt it was very important to support concepts such as Tasting Success.
"As the leading venue in Australia we have a responsibility to invest in the catering industry and encourage new talent," Mr van Amerongen said.
"We have a number of female chefs in our kitchens, including a winner of the Qantas Spirit of Youth Australia (SOYA) award for cooking, Mary Elzir, and we are very keen to help encourage more women to take up a career in this area through programs like Tasting Success."
And it seems the mentoring has already paid off for Rejieli, who will take up an apprenticeship position at the Centre late August.
Image: Tasting Success participant Rejieli James gets a helping hand from Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre Chef Uwe Habermehl
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