Ara chefs at heart of successful charity dinner

_{The black-tie dinner dished up almost $90,000 for the Kairos Food Rescue charity}

A ‘look down the line’ mid service at a black-tie charity dinner at the weekend revealed a kitchen running hot with past and present Ara Institute of Canterbury cookery talent.

The event, a fundraiser for Kairos Food Rescue, which locates and redistributes unsold and short-dated food, netted more than $90,000 to help feed Cantabrians in need.

Ryan Marshall, Ara’s Academic Manager, Cookery and Bakery, connected with Kairos recently and was keen to contribute to their ‘Glammed Up for a Hand Up’ fundraiser.

_{Ara graduate Ryan Prouting (left) and Academic Manager, Cookery and Bakery, Ryan Marshall}

He said almost all the chefs who contributed to the three-course meal featuring salmon, pork belly, chicken roulade and dessert (made entirely with rescued food) had an Ara connection.

“Graduate Ryan Prouting who led the kitchen team and designed the menu, was assisted by Miele’s consultant chef Ciaran Cook as well as other graduates working in the local industry and one current Level 4 Cookery ākonga. It was amazing to be collaborating on this special event with them all!” Marshall said.

“I was delighted that the Kairos team reached out to me about getting involved. Their incredible operation is right here in Ara’s central city neighbourhood. They’re supporting so many people in our community and it was humbling to be part of this event.”

_{Jess Whitelaw skilfully plating desserts}

Level 4 chef ākonga (student) Jess Whitelaw was quick to put her name forward when the opportunity to volunteer opened up. She thought she’d simply be helping with plating for the 190 diners but found herself working on elements of both a main and the desserts too.

“I was the least experienced one there so the more advanced chefs helped me, and I really enjoyed it. It was so nice to hear the compliments coming back to the kitchen and try the fancy food too!”

She said hearing how the former Ara students had furthered their study and progressed their careers had fueled her passion for the industry. “It was amazing to be behind the scenes, experience the atmosphere and see how fun it is. I just want to keep pursuing this,” she said.

The Kairos Trust has rescued over 560,000kg of food since the start of this year, sharing it with 59 groups around Christchurch each week. Donor coordinator Tracey George said all parts of the community came together to support the charity which costs $850,000 per year to run.

“Everyone that contributed on the evening is now part of the whole story of giving others a hand up,” George said. “Going into the kitchen and seeing everyone working seamlessly together, it would be difficult to believe you weren't in a top restaurant kitchen with a team who’d worked together for years, not a collection of volunteers.”

George said the Kairos team had heard nothing but praise for the food and the service with many guests surprised the meals had been created entirely with rescued ingredients.

Ryan Marshall said he was keen to look for more opportunities to involve Ara chef ākonga in Kairos initiatives. “I certainly felt proud to play a part in connecting our Ara alumni and ākonga with this shared experience to support of our communities,” Marshall said.

Kairos Food Rescue is already fielding enquiries about a repeat of the successful event next year.