By Callum Ludwig
Cire Services is celebrating a partnership that has lasted over six years and has given Cire Training (Registered Training Organisation RTO) and Community School students a platform to show off their culinary creations.
Students have been featured in a regular ‘Cire Community Kids’ feature in the quarterly Vasili’s Garden to Kitchen magazine headed by celebrity gardener Vasili Kanidiadis of the Vasili’s Garden show after he was impressed by their Community Cookbook at the Cire AGM in 2018.
Manager of Communications and Content at Cire Services Kinnear Miller said Cire is delighted to have a long-standing relationship with Vasili.
“It is an exciting opportunity for Cire to feature students’ work in the magazine, the recognition and celebration of their work benefits them and engages readers,” she said.
“Students are at the heart of the story, and their learning is shared with Vasili’s audience, seeing themselves in the magazine boosts their pride, and they eagerly share it with others.”
Themed dishes and crafted recipes have been made by Cire students over the years for the magazine, first by Middle Years students and now prominently by the VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VETDSS) who are completing their Certificate II in Cookery.
Ms Miller said Cire students have recently completed the Winter edition and are gearing up for the Spring issue.
“The upcoming steps involve brainstorming the theme, developing recipes, and planning the project to meet deadlines collectively,” she said.
“Being part of the magazine allows us to showcase the community school and engage students and staff in the entire process, from theme selection to the photo shoot,” she said.
Cre has participated in 25 editions of the magazine to date, with the latest seeing VETDSS from Cire Training pairing up with Cire Community School students and focusing on sustainable food. Students learnt how to make the most out of an animal, boning and then portioning out a whole chicken to reduce food waste.
Ms Miller said cooking and gardening offer students valuable learning experiences, social interactions, and potential career paths.
“Cooking fosters creativity and supports core subjects like numeracy,” she said.
“Additionally, tending to the community garden is a favourite activity among students, where they learn about herbs, composting, and sustainability.”
The community garden at the Yarra Junction Community School campus, the purpose-built kitchen and the help of head chef and teacher Ian Sepping have been heavily involved in the partnership while Cire has also welcomed qualified chef Emily Sullivan who trains cookery and tourism at the Lilydale Training campus. Students from Cire campuses across the Outer East have participated.
