It’s November and the crazy season’s in full swing. Businesses try to get as many projects completed as they can before the Christmas break. We are all rushing from family sports to productions, exams and end of year activities with our spare time filled with work do’s and Christmas shopping! International Culinary Studio is no exception, after a year of action we are now getting everything in place for the new year, 2022 is looking very exciting from here!
Studylink – Don’t Wait!
If you are looking to study the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 4 with our 25th January intake, NOW is when you need to sort your Studylink application.
Yes, it’s only November, but ALL students applying with Studylink must have their applications in before the 16th December 2021. Any applications received after 16th December will not be processed in time to begin a course in January.
Chef Helen’s Kitchen Journey
Everyone loves a gleaming new kitchen, but we all know it is an expensive exercise which requires a lot of planning!
Chef Helen is in the middle of this process and her one major take away so far, is that you will experience delays and there will be issues!
Her kitchen journey began over three years ago when a friend put in a new Ikea kitchen. Helen did the rounds of show homes taking notes of design ideas and kitchen flow. The plan had been to support local as much as possible but after being let down by a kitchen designer and Covid, a dash was made to Ikea in Sydney. Not even this was an easy process when transport became an issue, and then someone tried to claim half of her kitchen!
Finally with the kitchen parts back in New Zealand and cabinets assembled, Helen has had to deal with the quirks of a 70’s house which has required wiring and jibbing work. An unforeseen change of builder has meant work is now being fitted in around other jobs. Sadly, this could mean the finished kitchen may not be seen this side of Christmas!
Staying positive, this has been a fabulous learning experience for Helen and her husband, who are managing the project together and have very contrasting approaches!
Best of luck Helen, cooking with your BBQ, your makeshift bench and *microwave, we look forward to seeing your sparkly new kitchen when it is done!
*Please note: Chef Helen does not normally EVER use a microwave!
Chef Helen’s Kitchen Must Haves:
- 6 hob gas
- Graphite bench top (perfect for pastry work)
- A minimalist kitchen (nothing on bench top, microwave etc. in cupboards)
- Lots of drawers, in a logical order
- Pull out pot rack with pot lid organiser
- Under sink rubbish bin
- A design with a logical flow
Do You Have A Flair For Plating?
Facebook message or email us a photo of a beautifully plated dish you’ve created to cro2@internationalculinarystudio.com
We’ll post our faves and send out this set of decorating spoons to the prettiest dish!
Get your photos in to us by the 29th October.
Looking forward to seeing some exciting ideas and plating techniques!
Your Health And Wellbeing Is Important!
Your health and wellness contribute to and will impact your academic success. Establishing healthy habits in nutrition, exercise, and other wellness areas, can set you up to be more successful academically.
Here are some steps you can take to insure you’re doing your best for your health and wellness
- Make time for yourself – spend time with friends, make sure you spend that 30mins in the sun reading that book you have been meaning to get back to. Do something that makes you happy!
- Eat healthy – living within your means, doing what you can to ensure that you have energy to support both your physical and mental wellness throughout the day. Planning meals and meal preparation are great ways to reduce stress and fatigue during busy weeks.
- Exercise – making time for exercise can not only help your physical wellbeing, but it also effects your mental wellbeing. Simply being active at least 30mins a day can reduce stress and help you to sleep, so you wake daily feeling refreshed and ready to go.
- Ask for help – If you are struggling with anything and you need help or just to talk, please always seek help.
Let 2022 Be The Year Your Culinary Dreams Take Shape!
Have you always loved culinary but the timing wasn’t right to begin a formal qualification?
Are you a school leaver keen to begin a career as a chef?
Has the time come to change your career and pursue your passion for food?
If you’ve been thinking about studying the NZQA Level 4 Certificate in Cookery, start your new year with our 25th January intake!
To give you an added kick start, every 25th January 2022 enrolment will go in the draw to win a
Kenwood Multipro Express + Food Processor FDP65890SI
To be eligible you must have fully completed the enrolment process by the 30th November 2021.
Planning/Goal Setting Top 10 Tips !
Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life and study.
Here are some tips and tricks to help you set goals and plan for your future.
- Know what makes a good goal.Goals should meet the criteria of SMART*:
- S – Specific: Make them as clear as possible
- M – Measurable: Develop a target so you know if you’re making progress
- A – Attainable: ensure your goals are within reach so it’s worth the effort
- R – Realistic: Create goals that are challenging enough to avoid underachievement and apathy
- T – Time Bound: Assign deadlines to goals in order to create a sense of urgency.
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Do your homework.Look at past data and gather information in order to help you create goals. Without this insight, you can’t build on past successes or failures to know what worked and what didn’t.
3. Identify the rewards and consequences.Closely evaluate what you can gain or lose from not achieving your goal. Once identified, these factors can be powerful motivators. It’s important to be honest with yourself. If you genuinely care about it, you’ll make it happen.
4. List out the obstacles. By clearly identifying what’s holding you back from achieving your goals, you can minimize uncertainty and increase confidence. If roadblocks are identified, you can make plans to overcome them.
5. Brainstorm solutions for the obstacles. If you think through multiple ways to remove obstacles, you’ll be able to select the most effective solution for the situation.
6. Take action. Once you determine the most effective solution, identify the actions you need to take to achieve your goals. Also, establish deadlines for the actions and determine if you can delegate the task to someone else.
7. Get others on board with your goals. Gaining consensus and getting people to understand the why behind your goals is an important step in being able to achieve them. If people can get behind your motivations and your thinking, they will offer you support (which will come in handy when you need to delegate!).
8. Check in frequently. Depending on the goals you set, make it a point to revisit your goals on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. How are you trending toward achieving them? Do you need to course correct?
9. Celebrate achievements. This is one we often forget. We need to be kind to ourselves and others and take the time to acknowledge that we’re on the right track. This helps us to continue on the path of motivation, energy, confidence and positive goal setting.
10. Say no to things that don’t fit within your goals. Yes, this is hard because we often are forced to give something attention based on the needs of others. The important thing is to allow your goals to focus you, and to ask yourself if this new item is in line with your goals. Don’t let anything distract you from what’s most important.
Started Your Christmas Shopping Yet?
Have you just started your Christmas shopping and want to buy the gift of learning for someone special?
Are you struggling for that one last gift that you can’t for the life of you figure out?
Do you have friends or family members who enjoy cooking and love to learn new things?
Choose from our range of Culinary Short Courses, we have something for everyone!
Bloggers & Instagrammers to follow
Instagrammers To Follow:
https://www.instagram.com/beautifulcuisines/
https://www.instagram.com/thesweetandsimplekitchen/
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