Who needs TV when there’s a group of local kids getting creative and whipping up some impressive dishes, mixed with a bit of pressure and a dash of competitiveness, all while being judged?
Sixteen Murchison kids aged 11 - 17, forming four teams, have been producing some mouth-watering dishes in the first-ever Murchison MasterChef competition.
The competition was the brainchild of the Murchison Youth Council and brought to life by Rebecca Hockey, activities coordinator at the Murchison Sport and Recreation Centre.
“It’s a super-cool youth initiative. Given that the rec centre has amazing commercial kitchen facilities, and in a past life I was a qualified chef, I thought ‘yes, we can do this’,” says Rebecca.
Murchison MasterChef consists of six sessions with each session running for six hours. During this time the teams must work hard to prepare, cook, and serve a dish with the interesting ingredients from the table while keeping within the session’s set theme.
“The teams are not just judged on the completed dish, they are judged the whole way through the process for things like teamwork, hygiene, timing, and process of the dish,” says Rebecca.
“For example, you don’t generally cook pasta first when making a pasta dish, the process of cooking is important too.”
Each session has three different judges and judging panels have included Mayor Tim King and various ward councillors, as well as many amazing and talented locals.
“The judges selected are people who are involved in the community that the kids may know of or have seen around,” says Rebecca.
The cooking theme changes for each session and so far the teams have been challenged with ala chicken anything, eggs two ways, and Italian, Mexican or Indian - but no pizzas.
“One group recently made spaghetti and meatballs with handmade pasta. They were really proud of themselves, and I was really proud of what they produced.”
Rebecca says that for the kids involved, it’s been fun and challenging.
“There have been lots of laughs, someone used cornflour to sprinkle on the marshmallows instead of icing sugar.”
She says the kids involved have learned a lot about food, flavour, and cooking styles in a fun, friendly, and supportive environment.
The final Murchison MasterChef session is being held this week, and from this there will be an overall winning group that will receive a surprise food-themed prize.
Rebecca says she can already notice a change in their confidence around food, as well as an increase in their planning.
“They are taking more time to plan and decide what they are going to cook and who can do what part of the dish,” she says.
“It has been great to create an opportunity to expand their awareness of food and find passion in putting together things that nourish them.”
