Alison Taafe
Back to school for TV chances
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COOKING CLASS: Nathan Hammond is taking lessons from Alison Taafe in the hope of success on MasterChef.
Alison Taafe said she came up with the idea for the course after watching the hit series and regularly being asked where people could learn to cook like the stars of the show. "Watching the show I thought, 'Some of these people don't want to be a professional chef but I bet they wanted to do a course to get ready for it'," Ms Taafe said, "At the moment a lot of people want to audition for the show, but don't think they could do it. This course will help get them ready." The eight-week, $650 course held at Learn Cook Dine in Loganholme, in Brisbane's south, will cover knife skills, preparation, culinary terminology, cooking methods, plating techniques, desserts and pastries. Students will also perfect signature dishes they can then use to impress judges at MasterChef auditions. Ms Taafe, a professional cookery teacher at Southbank Institute of Technology, said she wanted to help those with a passion for cooking become better in the kitchen. "I wanted a course where I could take people right through the basics to where I could actually teach them to cook properly," she said.
Former MasterChef entrant Geni Papacostas (pictured) will also be involved in the course as a mentor for students, sharing her experiences on the show and offering advice for success. Nathan Hammond, 32, is eager to audition for the show at the end of the year and signed up for the course. "I think doing a course like this will give me that little bit extra over the other applicants," he said. "You'll be prepared, your knife skills will be up to date, your presentation will be good. It just gives you a bit more of a professional edge over people who haven't done the course and may be a little bit raw"
He dreams of being a professional chef and having his own restaurant. He said being chosen for the show would be a dream come true and he was willing to do anything to help get selected.
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