Bungalow training invaluable

Author: Caroline King & Craig Lawson - Invercargill Eye
Date posted: 06/07/09

Looking for champagne on a beer budget? Well, look no further than the Bungalow Restaurant on Ythan Street! The Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) training restaurant provides a step below fine dining for an extremely reasonable price.

But it's not about the money, it's about the learning, student Trevor Wolfe says. "I have been in the industry for 25 years and saw this as an opportunity to fine-tune what I enjoy," he says.

The restaurant provides students with an environment in which to develop and refine their skills before being thrown straight into the industry through work experience, hospitality tutor Shelley Findlater says. "I think from a tutor's point of view, it is good as we get to consolidate their learning and iron out their habits in a safe environment and develop their skills."

Cookery tutor Tony Goodall agrees, saying it gives them a good grounding without the pressure of working in the industry. The classroom environment benefits students learning not only from their tutor but also one another, he says.

A rotation system also helps students as they learn everything from cookery through to front of house service. These systems are obviously working. The restaurant walls are lined with prestigious awards won by its students - and this success is continuing.

Student Scott Cunningham had just won two bronze medals at the regional Salon Culinaire when The Eye caught up with him last month. "It floored me finding out about the first medal," he says. Scott says the training at SIT has enabled him to pursue his passion for the hospitality industry.

To make a booking, click here for dates and contact details.