Personalise my view
Nate cooks up a professional career
Nate Patterson enjoyed cooking from an early age – starting him on the path of one day working in a professional kitchen.
Fast-forwarding to his teenage years, Nate to the first step toward his career, beginning his study journey with TAFE at School. He studied the Certificate II in Kitchen Operations (SIT20416), where his work ethic and dedication saw him win the Graduate of the Year award.
TAFE Queensland helped him turn his interest in cooking into formalised skills through studying, with his course teaching him general cookery skills.
At just 16, Nate now has the knowledge and ability to prepare and present food to the highest standards and has a solid foundation to soon become an apprentice chef and more.
“When I stepped into the kitchen for class, I knew it was what I wanted to do. I love cooking, being able to approach recipes in different ways and seeing what works and what doesn’t,” said Nate.
Nate noticed his skills developing during his studies thanks to the hands-on training he received in the South Bank campus kitchens. Using industry-standard equipment under the guidance of his teachers, who are chefs from the industry, opened his eyes to new ways of preparing food.
“I came to TAFE Queensland with a passion for cooking, and thanks to the hands-on learning, I can make my way around a kitchen and know technical cooking skills,” he continued.
His teachers noticed his attitude, work ethic and dedication to cooking, and watched his confidence and abilities grow every time he attended class.
“Nate was always happy to share his successes and failures in the kitchen and always looked to learn from everything,” said Chris Sharp, Educational Team Leader, Faculty of Tourism Hospitality and Personal Services.
“He was diligent towards his studies, was always keen to try new ideas and had a professional focus on achieving the highest standards when cooking. He even assisted his classmates by sharing tasks if they fell behind.”
With his passion for cooking and professional attitude, Nate has a bright future as a chef. His laser focus now is on mastering his cookery skills through continued study.
“I’m coming back to TAFE to keep sharpening my skills,” he said.
“The combination of the facilities, teachers and equipment will help me into the career of my dreams as a chef, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds," concluded Nate.