On 30 April 2017, six lucky Le Cordon Bleu students met iconic UK chef Marco Pierre White at his Italian Feast for Tasting Australia at FINO Seppeltsfield. The students - from three Le Cordon Bleu programmes, Bachelor of Business (International Hotel Management), Bachelor of Business (International Restaurant Management) and Bachelor of Business (Food Entrepreneurship) - assisted at the feast providing food and beverage service to 350 guests. The event was the perfect opportunity for Le Cordon Bleu students to learn from industry’s finest.

Le Cordon Bleu students, Tony TO, Dan HAN, Kaif CHAN, Victor NGO, JoJo CHU, and Jasmine TANUWIJAYA had the experience of a lifetime, assisting iconic chef Marco Pierre White at his Tasting Australia FINO Italian feast.

Set in the heritage estate of Seppeltsfield, the event was hosted by the award-winning team from FINO Seppeltsfield in the Barossa, and assisted by Mitch Orr (ACME, Sydney), Jock Zonfrillo (Restaurant Orana, Adelaide), David Swain (FINO at Seppeltsfield), Owen Andrews (Seppeltsfield Wine Estate) and Matteo Carboni (Casa Carboni, Barossa).

Le Cordon Bleu students were thrilled to have their photographs taken with Chef Marco. As a memento of the event they each received certificates and FINO aprons. The event was an invaluable opportunity for students to learn from industry experts, and to prepare them for the challenges of employment in a fast-paced industry.

Born to an English father and Italian mother, legendary UK chef Marco Pierre White returned to his Mediterranean roots to create the menu for the feast. A little known fact is that he mentored two very famous chefs - Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay! Chef Marco is also a writer and TV personality, appearing in Hell’s Kitchen (2004, 2017), and Masterchef Australia (2013). He was the youngest chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars, which he received at age 33.

It goes without saying that our six Le Cordon Bleu students were extremely grateful (and thrilled) to be in the company of such an accomplished and inspiring chef, and to learn from industry’s finest.