Lilydale students (from left) Nicole Lamb, Brooke Nisi and Sam Griffin earned the title of Student THREE Lilydale students are on their way to building successful careers in hospitality after winning Yarra Valley food and wine industry awards last week.
Nicole Lamb, Brooke Nisi and Sam Griffin, first year Diploma of Hospitality Management students from Lilydale’s Swinburne TAFE, took out the Student Waiters of the Year Award last Tuesday, 11 October.
Ms Nisi also took home the award for best Food Knowledge, sponsored by YV Fruits.
The awards were judged during a lavish threecourse dinner for 90 Yarra Valley food, wine and tourism industry guests.
It was held in Mitchell’s View, the student training restaurant at the Lilydale Swinburne campus.
Over dinner, which featured Yarra Valley produce matched with local wines from Yering Station and Domaine Chandon, the students were judged on a range of performance criteria.
“The students were assessed throughout the evening on their communication skills, their ability to work as a team, their organisation and table waiting skills,” hospitality tutor Caroline Evans said.
“They did extremely well under enormous pressure, demonstrating high skill levels in front of a room full of industry guests, and they thoroughly deserve their awards.”
Ms Evans said the awards provided students with the opportunity to make contact with employers in the hospitality and tourism industries.
“It is such a great event because the students have direct contact with potential employers who get to see first hand their skill level. It is an opportunity for them to build up relationships in the industry,” she said.
“Most of the students received expressions of interest from industry employees present on the night and that is a great stepping stone for them.”
For winning the title of Student Waiters of the Year, Ms Lamb, Ms Nisi and Ms Griffin were each awarded a trophy, a medal, $200 and a subscription to Vogue Entertainment and Travel magazine.
