Hospitality and catering students from Hitchin's North Hertfordshire College (NHC) proved they could handle the heat of the kitchen as they won 38 awards across multiple skills competitions.
Students competed in various regional and national contests in the last few months, including the Zest Quest Asia 2024 national finals, Rotary Young Server of the Year, and the International Salon Culinaire.
Contestants competed at every study level the college offers, and took on the challenge to showcase their skills and enhance their CVs through various tests of culinary expertise.
Freddie McCreath, Kajus Serovas, and Luke Bradley won for Best Use of Rice and Best Menu Presentation at the Zest Quest Asia 2024, while India Elan at came in first for the Rotary Young Server of the Year with full marks.
Kajus Serovas, level 2 diploma student, said: "Zest Quest Asia was such an amazing experience for me.
"It was eye-opening and so surreal to be there.
"I had a wonderful time, I met some amazing people, and I got to present our menu and our food to the judges.
"My team and I made some amazing memories that we will never forget."
Elsewhere, Luci Smart, a level 1 diploma student at NHC who won two silver medals at the International Salon Culinaire, said: “This was my first catering competition, and it was a great experience to take part and see my fellow peers competing as well.
"We also got to see professionals competing in their own competitions, which was inspiring.
"This was a great networking opportunity and very educational. I would like to thank NHC’s tutors for giving us this fantastic experience."
Various prizes were awarded for the competition wins, including medals, plaques, and experiences - includng a week-long course at the Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku, a specialist catering institution.
The competition winners have also opened up opportunities for other students at the college, with representatives from the Tokyo College offering an on-campus masterclass at NHC.
For more information about NHC’s Hospitality & Catering courses, visit nhc.ac.uk/study/16-18-learners/discover-hospitality-and-catering.
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