TASTAFE
TasTAFE Drysdale provides the foundations for success for Yaya Thanutya (Yaya) Waite says completing a cookery qualification at TasTAFE Drysdale has given her new skills and confidence which helped her win a national award. The Thai Veggie Hutt owner was recently crowned the Australian Institute of Technical Chefs, Best of the Best Future Chef, which recognises emerging potential leaders from students who have successfully completed a Certificate III Commercial Cookery. Yaya says the support she received from Drysdale’s teachers gave her confidence in her cooking and learning new skills. She completed her Certificate III at Drysdale in October 2020 and was nominated for the award by her cookery teacher Veronica Whitney. She was interviewed by a panel of judges via Zoom, impressing them with her passion, determination and ability to apply techniques learnt at Drysdale to her Thai cooking. Born in Thailand, Yaya worked in the training department of a large food chain where part of her job was to test food and ensure it met the company’s standards. But it wasn’t until she moved to Australia in 2006 that she began cooking for a living, setting up Hobart’s Thai Veggie Hutt. Yaya knew she could trust her taste but wanted to learn more about the techniques of cooking. “I was worried about the idea of going back to “school” at first, but my staff were studying cooking at Drysdale and I saw them improving and I thought ok, there’s nothing to be scared of,” she said. “Every day I went to Drysdale was a happy day. I was really excited to go and I didn’t want to miss a minute. “At first, I was a bit scared and unsure about my level, but the teachers taught me that if I was unsure, I just needed to ask. All of the teachers showed us a lot of different techniques and skills and they were always interested in what you were doing. They taught me to be proud of my career.
“Drysdale has given me a very firm foundation and confidence. When you know the foundations, you don’t need to worry. It’s a very big thing that I can apply to my whole way of cooking.” Yaya says the training also helped her better understand how to cater for a range of dietary requirements, apply a range of new cooking techniques and speak the same “language of cooking” as her employees. “One day my kids asked me why they have to go to school. Straight away I said that no matter how old you are, you’ll never be too old to learn. We are always still learning. “It’s about not giving up. You don’t need to make it perfect; you just have to do it by your passion and that’s what’s important,” Yaya said.
Pictured: (top) Thanutya (Yaya) Waite. (bottom) Doug Scott.
For more information about TasTAFE Tourism and Hospitality and food courses visit: www.tastafe.tas.edu.au
Hospitality Review: December 2021 45
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker