VET alumni receive accolades at prestigious world culinary olympics
17 April 2024
Liam Brnic, former VET (Vocational Education and Training) Cert II in Hospitality student of Mater Dei College, together with ‘team Australia’ ranked an impressive 13th in the world at the 2024 IKA culinary Olympics, held in Stuttgart Germany from 2 to 7 February.
“This was an experience of a lifetime and one that many chefs around the world go their whole careers trying to accomplish. I’m so blessed to have achieved this so early in my career,” Liam said.
The IKA culinary Olympics is the oldest, largest and most diverse international culinary arts competition starting in the year 1900 and held every four years in Germany. This year, over 1800 chefs from 67 nations participated in five categories including national senior team, junior national team, regional team, community catering team, individual competitors (fruit carving, pastry arts and culinary art sculptures and displays).
The Australian Junior National team comprised of eight chefs from around the country; Four from WA, one from Queensland, one from Adelaide, one from Melbourne and one from Tasmania.
Liam’s team of four also earned a silver medal in the Chef’s Table and a bronze medal in the Restaurant of Nations. Over two days, they crafted a three-course menu for a 70-seat restaurant in the Restaurant of Nations and produced a six-course degustation menu for 14 people in the Chef’s Table.
“The Olympics mimicked the sports version, with a grand opening ceremony, paired with a parade of nations, torch relay and lighting of the Olympic flame which stays lit during the entire duration of the competition,” Liam said.
Team WA’s menu for day one (Restaurant of Nations):
A hot vegetarian entrée
• Sweet potato Tortelloni with a macadamia nut sauce and parmesan tuille, roasted eggplant and zucchini Melanzane with a romesco style sauce, baked seared corn and leek frittata with a red onion jam.
A plated main course
• Crown roasted chicken breast with a truffle and mushroom filling,
• Roulade of chicken thigh, chicken hearts wrapped in speck.
• Served with a potato pave, pumpkin and honey pudding, cauliflower puree, buttered sprouts, red wine onions, chicken jus-lie sauce.
A dessert course
• White chocolate sprayed peach Cremeux with a raspberry centre shortbread sable and mango dust.
• Served with citrus salsa, raspberry coulis, chamomile tea friand and raspberry sorbet.
Team WA’s menu for day two (Chef’s Table):
2 types of cold canapes
• Chicken liver parfait with cherry chutney and lemon cream on brioche
• Beef tartare with horseradish cream lemon myrtle sable, smoked tobacco emulsion sauce.
2 types of hot canapes
• Orange glazed spiced carrot filed with goat’s cheese.
• Herb taco with seared tuna, charred corn puree and salsa
Seafood platter which had to consist of two cold seafood terrines and two garnigoat’sments which are similar size to canapes. And two sauces.
• Cured and poached Tasmanian salmon wrapped in pickled watermelon radish and marbled kombu garnish for this was a salmon belly tartare served in a pickled daikon cup.
• Lemon curd sauce
• Terrine of Murray River cod, lemon butter squid and poached prawns with a Americaine sauce glaze garnish for this was a scampi jelly on a pea sponge.
• Tomato chutney sauce.
A completely vegan entrée
• Sweet potato Tortelloni with a macadamia nut sauce and vegan parmesan tuille, roasted eggplant and zucchini Melanzane with a romesco style sauce, puffed quinoa coated mushroom pate with an herbed dressing.
Plated main course
• Poached and seared white rocks veal sirloin, tarragon emulsion served with a veal pojarski croquet cauliflower puree, potato pave, pumpkin and honey pudding buttered sprouts, red wine onion, red wine veal jus served with fresh grated black truffle.
Plated dessert
• Ruby coated chocolate cremeux with a strawberry centre, milo sponge, strawberry and rhubarb compote, blood orange sorbet, ginger crumb, warm pear and pistachio frangipane tart.
