By TANIA PHILLIPS
MOVE over Jamie Oliver and Luke Mangan, here comes Brendan Austin.
It seems helping his mum prepare family meals back home in Warwick is set to pay off in a big way for the first year cookery apprentice.
Brendan is headed to Sydney for an apprenticeship at one of Australia’s best-known restaurants, owned by one of Australia’s best-known chefs – Neil Perry’s Rockpool Restaurant.
The first year commercial cookery apprentice and former Warwick State High Student, Brendan has always been able to find his way around a kitchen.
The 17-year-old has always had a passion for the food industry and is about to live out his dreams gaining employment in one of the country’s most acclaimed restaurants.
The Rockpool group is owned and managed by celebrity chef Neil Perry, a highly respected Australian chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter.
Brendan said his future was now looking good and he was thankful to the support he had received from his parents and Busy At Work industry training consultants.
“My parents especially have played an important role in helping me get to where I am today,” he said.
“I am also thankful to Donna Howard from Busy At Work for helping me focus on my goals and supporting me through my apprenticeship so far.”
Ms Howard, the Busy At Work Senior Industry Training Consultant for Toowoomba, said it was exciting to see Brendan achieving his life-long goals.
“Brendan has always had a love of food from a very young age and he has been keen to make his own way in the hospitality industry,” she said.
“Last year he was finishing Grade 12 and he wanted to gain more experience so I advised him to approach several celebrity chefs to show them his passion for cooking.”
“It is very rewarding to see him about to live out his dreams and we are very proud of what he has achieved so far,” Ms Howard said.
Brendan began his career in 2014 completing work experience in a local Warwick restaurant. Following a year as a school-based apprenticeship at the restaurant, he was keen to set his sights higher.
After contacting Busy At Work, Brendan decided to send out several resumes to restaurants around Sydney, not really expecting a reply.
“It was very exciting to see Brendan receive a positive response from three of the restaurants,” Ms Howard said.
“After interviews and trials with the restaurants to gauge his passion in the kitchen, Brendan was offered an apprenticeship at two of the restaurants.
“We are delighted by the news that Brendan has chosen to leave his hometown of Warwick and work at one of Australia’s finest restaurants. With the right training and mentoring we feel confident Brendan will have a great career ahead of him,” she said.
Busy At Work CEO Paul Miles said it was pleasing to see Brendan succeed in his chosen career.
“Brendan is just one of the many young people in country areas pursuing their dreams through completing an apprenticeship or traineeship.
“Given his dedication and passion for his training, we know he will not only be a great asset to his employer but we look forward to seeing him achieve his goal of one day becoming a chef,” Mr Miles said.
