Some trainee chefs at any other school would settle for the idea of starting in the hospitality industry as a kitchen hand, but not in the Auckland based Professional Business & Restaurant School (PBRS).
“We at PBRS always inspire our students to aim nothing less than starting as Chef de Partie once they graduate,” Michael Corbett, Head of Department Cookery and Hospitality PBRS told The Indian Weekender.
“We consistently train, coach and encourage our students to push their own boundaries, still attend school on top of their training programme, or when aiming to start a career after they finish the programme with us,” Mr Corbett said.
The Indian Weekender was speaking with Mr Corbett about one of the PBRS students, Karanvir Singh Sawhney, winning a gold medal in the prestigious NZ Hospitality Competition for 2017.
The competition was held earlier in 2017 and brings together many aspiring students in the catering and hospitality industry and also current staff working in the industry to present their skills and compete amongst the very best in the industry.
Mr Sahwhney was only enrolled in the school and the country for six months studying the chef’s course before taking a shot at the NZ Hospitality Competition 2016 where he was disqualified after miscalculating time.
Probably his personal aspirations were slightly ahead of the training and perfection of skills needed to crack such prestigious competition.
The PBRS team stepped-up to train and coach Mr Sawhney’s in his personal aspirations by adding vigour to the training and providing the support that was much needed to win such elite competition.
Meanwhile, Mr Sawhney is basking in the glory of being the first Sikh recipient of such award – a fact that is giving him considerable joy and pride.
“My parents were extremely happy when I was told that probably I could be the first Sikh-recipient of such an award in the hospitality industry,” Mr Sahwney told The Indian Weekender sharing his experience of winning the award, which contributed towards PBRS [Cornell Education Group] winning the 2017 “NZ Training Establishment of the Year” Trophy (also achieved this award in 2014 and 2016).
However, it is less about his faith and ethnicity and more about his professional integrity, commitment and pursuance of excellence that deserves mention.
“It was my PBRS tutor and chef Rajaji Balakrishnan who made the real difference,” Mr Sawhney told the Indian Weekender on how did he prepared for the event after being disqualified early in 2016.
“Mr Balakrishnan was always with me, especially before and after college times, six days a week providing the best equipment and ingredients needed along with his supervision,” Mr Sawhney said.
Acknowledging Mr Sawhney’s passion, the PBRS tutor Mr Balakrishnan said: “Karanvir is one of the best students in PBRS who can go extra mile for the goal.”
Winning the culinary award was not the only award that Mr Sawhney received after one year of dedicated study at the PBRS.
Mr Sawhney was also able to get a good career start as a bakery chef at New World – an outcome that delights all staff and management at the PBRS.
“We strive for a similar outcome for our every student, and the starting point is by setting the right expectations from the very beginning, Jun Kim, General Manager – Operations said, reiterating the importance of expectations of high professional standards from very beginning in a student’s life.
“Once we set the right expectations from the start, all it follows on from there is a rigorous application, which we ensure happen in every semester,” Mr Corbett added.
Indeed, Mr Sawhney had an incredible journey from a town in Punjab, where he worked for a short time in his grandparent’s sweet shop, to winning NZ culinary award.
The story has just started, and Mr Sawhney dreams of owning a multi-cuisine, trendy cafe in Auckland.
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