Acclaimed for his patisserie prowess, chef tutor Korey Field (centre) works with level 3 cookery students Vikram Singn and Ashlee McNabb on plating the dessert.

EIT students and tutors are gearing up to help make one of the region’s most celebrated events a standout success.

As in past years, EIT is enthusiastically supporting the Hawke’s Bay A & P Bayleys Wine Awards, which are to be staged as a dazzling under canvas dinner on Tuesday, 18 October. 

Some 10 to 15 tourism and travel students will help in setting up the huge marquee to be erected in the heart of Showgrounds Hawke’s Bay in Hastings. 

The kitchen will be manned by EIT’s chef tutors and 70 cookery students, enrolled in programmes from levels 3 to 5. 

In charge of the dessert course, chef tutor Korey Field has specially designed an eye-catching dessert – described by Head of School Hospitality and Tourism Jenny Robertson as “looking like a giant jaffa” – for close to 500 seated guests. 

The striking dessert, a ball artfully made of madeira cake, strawberry compote and white chocolate mousse, will be plated with a blood red mirror glaze.

While cookery students have been travelling out to Craggy Range to hone their preparation skills for the main course, chefs from Napier restaurant Bistronomy and Havelock North’s Wright and Co have been working with them on entrée and taster plate courses in EIT’s training kitchen. 

Under the direction of their food and beverage tutors, 20 front of house and café students will put their hospitality skills to the test on the awards night, serving the dishes and managing the distribution of wines at the tables.

Wine science and viticulture students have already done their bit, with 20 wines made by individuals and groups entered in the awards’ student class.  The word is that they have performed very well.

Jenny, meanwhile, will be enjoying the evening as a guest.

“As head of school, I get to have all the fun,” she laughs.  “It doesn’t really seem fair, does it?”