|
 |
|
History of NZ Chefs
      |
The New Zealand Chefs Association Inc.Historical Portrait
The first meetings held in New Zealand to discuss the formation of an Association to which only fully qualified chefs could gain admittance were held in Auckland on the 25 July and in Christchurch on the 28 August 1957. Both of these meetings, and one held shortly afterwards in Wellington were held on the initiative of Mr. Fred Young, National Secretary of the Hotel & Restaurant Employees’ Federation, and his brother in law, Fred Taylor, Chef at the Great Northern. Syd Young, Central Hotel; Ernie Reid, Trans Tasman; both later Presidents of the Association, and four other chefs were present at that first meeting in Auckland. In Christchurch, Lou Neilson, Neil Witteman and Bill Philpot; in Dunedin .George L’Homme and Bill Cook, and in Wellington, Bert Cousins, Jack Mulvey and Mal Anderson were active members of the Association in those early years with Bert Cousins of the St George being elected first National President. And of course, in Rotorua, the least forgettable of the all, Bill Elliott of Brents, for many years Chef of the best known of New Zealand Hotels. These then were the Founders, what have been their achievements? With the assistance of men like George Armstrong as National Secretary and Les Short the Canterbury Branch Secretary, they registered as an incorporated Society, the New Zealand Chefs’ Academy with membership of twenty-seven. They have seen this grow into the New Zealand Master Chefs’ Association with a membership approaching two hundred. When the Association was registered, it gave as its principles objects:- 1) Generally to encourage and foster interest in the culinary arts and sciences, and to function as a Master Chefs’ Association, i.e. as spokesman on all matters relating to their profession including the vocational, educational training of young people in the culinary work. 2) To attain the aforesaid objectives by support and/or promotion of lectures, competitions and catering exhibitions throughout New Zealand, and to co-operate with kindred organisations to such ends. In 1960, in association with the New Zealand Hotel Association, it established the first training scheme for cooks. Many of the products of the scheme now hold Executive Chefs’ positions both here and overseas. However recognising the limitations of the scheme, members pressed for the establishment of full-time Schools of Cookery so that the extent of cooks’ training could be measured by examinations and rewarded by recognized certificates. Starting with Auckland in 1971, we now have six Schools where training in the art and science of cooking is provided. This Association does not claim all the credit for this progress, because other far-sighted individuals have made their contribution but we have been involved throughout. In the years following the formation of the Association a considerable number of chefs who had received their training in Europe came and settled in New Zealand and the Association grew slowly. With this growth came changes, from a group of hotel employees to today’s Association, with members holding Executive positions throughout the industry, owning and operating their own restaurants and, of course, being found in such diverse places as Educational Institutions, Training Boards and Trade Unions, These Chefs are now the leaders of the Association who in due time will hand the reins of office to some of the young men and woman who they have trained and they will inherit an Association which has been accepted into the World Association of Cook Societies and is the recognized as the voice of Chefs in New Zealand. Copied 2007, the original was not dated.
|
|
|
|
Follow Us  
|
Contact usNZ Chefsinfo@nzchefs.org.nz |
