WorldSkills Patisserie competition comes to TasTAFE Drysdale Hobart
Published on: 31 Jul 2024
Congratulations to Eve Charlesworth, Patisserie gold medal winner at the 2024 WorldSkills Australia Regional Competitions, hosted by TasTAFE at Drysdale Hobart on 24 July.
Eve is a TasTAFE-trained apprentice who is studying a Certificate III in Patisserie. She’s also completing Year 10 at school, and working at Jean-Pascal Patisserie in New Town in Hobart’s north.
In just 6 hours at WorldSkills, starting at 7.30am with a briefing and kitchen familiarisation, Eve produced chocolate eclairs, cream puffs, a strawberry-and-cream sponge cake, Viennese biscuits, Swiss rolls and more…all beautifully crafted from scratch.
A panel of four expert judges – TasTAFE teachers Scott Townsend, Jason Mizzen and Mike Goddard, and Alice Loone from Coles Meadow Mews in Launceston – assessed the competitors’ efforts against a long list of criteria: mixing skills, volume and filling, even use of jam, evenness of cutting, waste management, piping shape and definition…and of course taste.
At the end of the day, they judged Eve’s delicious creations the winners.
Eve’s expertise in piping and cake decorating was a stand-out feature. “I like to work with finishing cakes and chocolate decorations,” she said. “That's one of my favourite things, working with chocolate.”
After this intense day in the TasTAFE kitchen, Eve was heading straight to work.
“My team will be pretty hyped!” she said. “I've been practising nearly every week on my weekends … a few techniques here and there. So they've been taste-testers. They'll be happy to see that I got something out of it.”
Eve's advice for anyone considering entering WorldSkills? “Go for it!” she said. “It doesn't matter how far you are in your apprenticeship – it's always a good experience."
Eve is now in the running to represent Tasmania at the WorldSkills National Championships in Brisbane in June 2025.
Congratulations also to Job Chapman (Trevallyn Gourmet Bakery), who took home the silver medal, and Montana Jago (Banjo's Bakehouse Latrobe), who won bronze.
Thanks to WorldSkills sponsor Reward Hospitality.
For more information or to register for a WorldSkills competition, visit our WorldSKills page.
