Trainees and tutors from the Cornell Education Group (Professional Business and Restaurant School- PBRS) are creating waves and reaching new milestones every passing year. The institute earlier this month won three major trophies at the NZ Hospitality Championships 2018.

"It is with great pride that the Cornell Education Group has accepted three prestigious awards at the national hospitality championship this year. Cornell was awarded the New Zealand Training Establishment of the Year title, Training Chef of the Year, and Training Service Person of the Year for TCEG Professional Cookery and Hospitality schools," International Marketing Manager, Jayaraj Arul Samji said.

"This is an outstanding result that has demonstrated The Cornell Education Group’s professionalism and excellence in training future personnel for the cookery and hospitality industry in New Zealand," he added.

The NZ Hospitality Championships 2018 event was held between 11 and 14 August at the Logan Campbell Centre, ASB Showground’s which was well attended by all the leading training establishments across the country.

Cornell/PBRS' competitors excelled in their categories and won a total of 54 medals – 12 gold, 37 silver, and five bronze.

As a result of this outstanding achievement, there is an air of confidence and appreciation by the students for the support that the school has provided in preparing them for the competitions.

"Cornell always prides itself on investing in the next generation and creating opportunities for those who may not have competed in such a prestigious competition before," a teaching staff member of PBRS said.
"The trophies and medals is a reflection of all the extra hours of work and passion that our tutors have put in it to ensure that our students receive excellent training, that is up to date and relevant to the cookery and hospitality industry in New Zealand," Mr Jayaraj said.

“The immense practical and theoretical knowledge I gained in my two years of studies at PBRS has given me the confidence to achieve my personal goal and also the institutions. This award is very meaningful to me, and I dedicate this to my tutors and my family,” Marisa Omaweng, PBRS Hospitality student who won the 2018 Training Service Person of the Year title said.

PBRS's hospitality tutors put a considerable number of extra hours that demonstrates their commitment to passing on skills to up-and-coming industry staff.

"The management at The Cornell Education Group are heartened by the dedication shown by the training staff as this bodes well for the future of the training institute," Mr Jayaraj added.

Tan Ying, who won Bronze in the live knife skill, and two Silvers in live salmon, and live dessert said that his vision and perspective has expanded through this competition and he learned more knowledge which he could find in a textbook.

"It also increased my skill. I also would like to show my appreciation for the help from my tutors and classmates of Cornell Education Group as the results of this competition definitely will have a positive impact on my future cookery career. I enjoyed this competition although the process is tough, we gain more happiness from it," Mr Ying said.

One cookery student, Carrie achieved the received five awards in different- Bronze in Fruit and Vege Carving, Silver in the live dessert, Silver in live salmon, Silver in live knife skill, and 2018 Training Chef of the Year.

In 2017, Ms Carrie completed a Fruit and Vegetable Carving Course in South Korea to help make her dream come true in New Zealand. Carrie credits the start of her success to PBRS and her participation has boosted her career prospects and put her name out in the industry.

“It was the starting point of everything. Looking back, I would not have succeeded without the instrumental support of the PBRS Chef Tutors. You have to think about the big picture – not just here and now, but from now until 10-20 years’ time. You have to think about how joining PBRS would impact your family, friends, and school. When I joined PBRS that was all I did full-time. I believe it is ‘All or nothing’. You have to be committed, but it is rewarding, whether you win or not. I would like to say Big thanks to everyone for supporting me,” Ms Carrie said.

“This is an outstanding result that has demonstrated The Cornell Education Group’s professionalism and excellence in training staff for the hospitality industry of New Zealand. The event was attended by all of the large training establishments who were present to see the results of the highly coveted awards. Well done to all the students and the team at Cornell who helped the students get to where they are today," Michael Corbett, Cornell Education Group’s Cookery and Hospitality Programme Manager added.

“All the staff at Cornell congratulates the Tutors and competitors on a great effort and an extremely positive outcome. This has been a fantastic chance to develop teamwork and to build skills for future industry engagement," Peter Do, Managing Director of Cornell Education Group concluded.