For pastry apprentice Georgia Manganas, winning the 2024 Proud To Be A Chef culinary scholarship has proved to be a career-altering experience.

Georgia, from The Shellharbour Club in Wollongong, said she first heard about the Proud To Be A Chef program from a family member and, after mentioning it to her previous Head Chef at work, the journey began.

“Winning this award has been amazing. It’s encouraged me to push myself even further in my career. It has also opened up new opportunities, such as being invited to events where I’ve had the chance to speak and present,” Georgia said.

“This experience has made me more mature and confident, helping me explore other career options within the industry.”

Georgia described her experience with the program as eye-opening.

It was her first competition and, she said, she didn’t know what to expect.

“It turned out to be the best week. Meeting other chefs from different backgrounds and ages was inspiring, and I’m happy to have stayed in contact with many of them,” she said.

“I’m sure some of them will go on to achieve their dreams in the culinary industry.

“A highlight for me was working up close with Chef Stephen Nairn at Omnia. His hand’s on approach, willingness to share knowledge, and stories were incredibly motivating. Additionally learning about flavours and creations from Joanne Yeoh at Kori Ice Creamery was exciting, and milking cows at the dairy farm early in the morning gave me a new appreciation for the farming lifestyle.”

As part of the competition Georgia had access to a number of mentors, and said she learned a huge amount from them in just one week.

“Their hands-on approach and unique ideas, influenced by their diverse backgrounds, showed me different ways of thinking about and preparing food,” she said.

Looking forwards, Georgia said her immediate focus following winning the 2024 Proud To Be A Chef competition was on completing the final months of her apprenticeship.

“After that I plan to travel back to Melbourne to work with top quality chefs, and eventually, I hope to travel internationally to learn about different cultures and their cooking techniques,” Georgia said.

“My long term goal is to start a restaurant or dessert bar. However, I want to find something unique that will attract a crowd – something that sets my establishment apart from others.”

Proud To Be A Chef is a mentoring program that is dedicated to nurturing the next of culinary talent in Australia. The program offers 32 apprentice chefs a unique opportunity to advance their careers through intensive mentorship, masterclasses and skills workshops. One standout apprentice is awarded a $7500 culinary scholarship tailored to their professional aspirations.

Applicants will need to be aged 18-or-over as of February 4, 2025. Further information about the 2025 competition can be found on the Proud To Be A Chef website.