It all kicked off on 3 May with just an idea and a massive dream. Before class, our teacher asked if we wanted to enter the National Secondary Schools Culinary Competition (NSSCC). At first, we weren’t totally sure, but as soon as we found out Pakūranga College had never competed in it before, we knew we had to grab the opportunity. Backed by our awesome mentors, we wanted to level up our skills, have the best time in our final year, and really show everyone what our school could do.
Honestly, the whole journey was a wild ride. Our first massive challenge was just figuring out our plate. Our teachers, Mrs Sanober Alwar and Mrs Caroline Jeyachandran, pushed us to skip the easy options, aim straight for gold, and give it everything we had. It took us a whole month of planning, sketching ideas, experimenting, and picking out ingredients before we could even start cooking.
Once we got into the kitchen, the real grind started. We were training three times a week, completely giving up our weekends and school holiday sleep-ins. We ended up changing our plating design about 15 times—adding, throwing out, and redesigning ingredients, creating our own recipes, and working out how to showcase our sponsors. It was heaps of work, especially trying to balance endless hours in the kitchen with the stress of Year 13.
Submission day was next-level stressful. We had to smash out four identical entrée plates in just 45 minutes, right in front of our Principal, Billy Merchant. We were terrified, but the months of practice saved us. After nailing that and getting through the paperwork, we designed our dessert, making sure it represented our experiences of Aotearoa and Māori culture. Then came the best news ever: the team of Jayden du Preez and Dylan Meynell had made nationals!
On 27 August, we headed to MIT for the finals. Walking in was nerve-wracking, but getting our own custom chef jackets and goodie bags made it feel so real. When the timer started, we put everything we had into those 100 minutes to plate four entrees and four dessert plates. Our families and teachers cheered from the stands. Somehow, we finished with four minutes to spare, with our fridge and benches totally spotless. At the awards dinner, our names were finally called for a Gold Medal. After all the headaches and food comas, it was the best feeling ever.
What started as two students with a dream turned into a national title, a shiny Gold Medal, and a memory we will never forget. We officially proved that Pakūranga College can go for gold!
Jayden du Preez, Ruan Van Biljon, and Dean Harris – Year 13
