Victorian apprentice chef Kate Ager has made her mark at The Fonterra Foodservices Proud to be a Chef master classes and won a two week long placement at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Singapore under the guidance of celebrity chef Eric Teo.

Kate, who works at Coldstream Brewery, Coldstream stood out from the group of exceptional third and fourth year apprentices from Australia and New Zealand after taking part in two days of master classes hosted by Eric Teo, Shane Delia, co-owner of Melbourne’s iconic Maha Bar and Grill; John Lanzafame, expert pizza maker and Peter Howard, one of Australia’s most recognised food and wine experts.

Also recognised for their aptitude were Kah-wai Lo from Melbourne, Victoria who was awarded silver and Adi James from Sydney, New South Wales who was awarded bronze.

Winner Kate was one of the program’s more mature apprentices at 31 years old and was thrilled, but shocked to be selected from an exceptional pool of 34 budding apprentice chefs.

“I didn’t come into this expecting to win – I just wanted to put everything I am into each dish I prepared and get as much out of the experience as possible,” she said.

“This has been the most awesome experience and the master class with Eric Teo was my absolute highlight – I can’t believe I get to spend two weeks with him in Singapore.

Troy Hudgson, Fonterra Foodservices Channel Development Manager, said Fonterra Foodservices Proud to be a Chef is about finding up-and-coming chefs who will one day be the leaders of the food industry and future ambassadors.

“Kate was an absolute standout, a leader who will represent apprentice chefs and our Australian food industry well when she travels to Singapore,” he said.

“Kate is a very passionate and humble young woman who displayed the focus, efficiency and attention-to-detail of a seasoned professional.

“She’s very clear about what she wants and where she’s going and we are very proud to offer her the chance to see a little more of what the world’s food industry has to offer when she visits Singapore.”

“Our Fonterra Foodservices Proud to be a Chef program is very close to our hearts at Fonterra and we are very pleased to invest in apprentice chefs who are the future of our industry,” said Mr Hudgson.