First visit in History to Culinary Olympics for Australian Aboriginal Youth Chefs

While most of the buzz from the 2020 Culinary Olympics has been focused on the incredible performance of the Australian Junior National Team that took home the Gold Medal in the Restaurant Category (rightfully so!), we’d like to recognise the amazing effort of two standout Aboriginal youth chefs in training that also attended the Olympics.

A Historical Moment

In the 100-year history of the IKA Culinary Olympics event, this was the first time that young Aboriginals have been invited to the esteemed competition. This opportunity brings the indigenous community one-step closer to both acceptance and recognition of indigenous education, traditions and ingredients, making them more mainstream in the culinary world.

Our Involvement

Over the course of five months, Caterlink Chefs Club hosted two incredible fundraising efforts to send Shaleeka Ozies and Rishaye Shaw to the IKA Culinary Olympics held in Stuttgart, Germany on February 14th-19th. With an impressive $20k raised through donation at these events, our very own Adrian Tobin (former National Olympic Team Member and Business Development Manager at Caterlink) and Dee Hedland of Prepare Produce Provide joined the girls on their journey; a trip designed to foster a love of culinary arts for young hospitality hopefuls. This initiative would not have been such a huge success if it were not for their logistics savvy, guidance and mentorship throughout the experience.

Highlights of the Trip

From London to Stuttgart, the two-week trip took on a life of its own.As it was Shaleeka and Rishaye’s (each of Aboriginal descent from the Kimberly Region in Western Australia) first travel outside of Australia and over to Europe, the team made the most of each day – taking in new sights, ticking dreams off their bucket lists and making memories that will most definitely last a lifetime.

Highlights included time spent outside of the kitchen – being well looked after indulging in the most exquisite food by Scott and Phar at Freak Scene London from Scott Hallsworth and dinner at Savoy Grill (Gordon Ramsay restaurant) – to time spent in the kitchen volunteering at Refottorio Felix with Chef Nassim and visiting with WA Agent General Mike Deeks at Australia to give back to community, cooking food for London’s homeless.

In Stuttgart, the Culinary Olympics did not disappoint! The whole spectrum of culinary arts was demonstrated in a variety of disciplines, starring enormous talent, precision in the kitchen, and artistic ingenuity.Each dish was a piece of masterful artwork in and of itself.If Shaleeka and Rishaye had to choose one word to describe how they felt about the whirlwind experience, INSPIRED easily comes to mind.

To give you an idea of just how busy and exhilarating the Olympics experience was, we’ve mapped out a quick overview with noteworthy facts and figures.

IKA Culinary Olympics 2020: A Quick Review

• The competition, which attracts competitors from more than 70 countries, is both the oldest and most prestigious international exhibition of culinary arts.
• Over 28,000 visitors attended the four-day event, creating an ecstatic environment, that was contagious throughout the venue. Teams competed in front of large glass windows while fans from all over the world cheered them on.
• 67 countries were represented in the competition, including 110 teams and nearly 1800 participants.
• 22 commercial kitchens were constructed for this event, yielding nearly 8,000 meals for guests.
• Australia’s junior national team took home the GOLD MEDAL in the ‘Restaurant Category’.
• Previous competitions showcased expensive and unusual products, but this year the focus was more on accessible and simple products from the team’s own countries, perhaps highlighting a new trend we will see across the culinary focus as 2020 unfolds.

In Summary

At the end of the Culinary Olympic journey, it wasn’t just the Australian junior national team that walked away with gold medals. In a heartfelt moment of gratitude, Adrian Tobin presented the girls with two of his own gold medals, won at the competition in 1996, both individually engraved with their names. These medals came with one condition only, that in 4 years’ time when they return to the Olympics to win gold, they return these to him.

This moment depicts exactly what the trip to the 2020 Olympics was all about. We have important work to do as role models in an ever-changing industry that needs to be challenged. Our youth need more access to transformational education and mentorship. Certain indigenous cultures need a voice in the hospitality industry. As a business we endeavour to support both. Our hope is that this experience for Shaleeka and Rishaye has a ripple effect within their community and the hospitality industry as a whole.

If you’d like to learn more about who we are and what we do at Caterlink, don’t be shy. Say g’day or check out our website for more details.