Restaurateur Matteo Pignatelli let William Angliss Institute Third Year apprentice chefs and Cert IV Hospitality students loose on his restaurant for the annual Great Chef’s Lunch.

Pignatelli, an alumni of William Angliss Institute, is the president of the Restaurant and Catering Australia (RCA) National Board and is a passionate advocate for industry-based training.

Pignatelli said, “I believe in training chefs not cooks and restaurateurs not waiters. William Angliss taught me a great deal about management styles, techniques and systems. My diploma studies gave me an excellent insight into all aspects of running a successful hospitality business.”

Pignatelli is the first hospitality graduate in the 21 year history of the William Angliss Institutes Great Chefs Program to host a Great Chefs Program lunch in their own restaurant. Previous Great Chefs to have been involved in the program on-site include Stephanie Alexander, Guy Grossi and Attica’s Ben Shewry.

Traditionally held in the Angliss Restaurant at the city campus, William Angliss Institute’s famous Great Chefs program gives hospitality and cookery students the opportunity to work with the crème de-la-crème of Melbourne’s vibrant culinary scene and offers other industry professionals and the general public an excellent value-for-money dining experience.

The apprentice chefs produced the following menu for 128 guests at the sold-out lunch event:

Entrees: Scorched Mooloolaba cobia sashimi, wasabi-guacamole, shaved bonito, shiso-ponzu dressing or karaage fried master-stock quail, creamed coconut rice, choi-sum ,’son-in-law’quail egg, lime-chilli caramel.

Main courses: Saikyo-yaki miso baked NZ rockling fillet, kombu butter, heirloom carrots, broad beans, asparagus, spicy cod roe or five-spiced poached beef cheek, Lyonnaise pork sausage, pumpkin, silk melon, roated garlic and oyster sauce.

Individual dessert plate: Strawberry and vanilla cream tartlet, yuzu ice cream and black sesame terrine and warm, dark chocolate fondant pudding.