Year 12's Amy Fogarty wins prestigious culinary award

All Saints’ own celebrity cook Amy Fogarty has been recognised at the state level for her exceptional skills in the field of hospitality.

At the Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s recent Salute to Excellence Awards, Amy was named Queensland Hospitality Student of the Year - Cookery.

Amy was encouraged to apply for the award by All Saints Hospitality Teacher Andy Tonkin. 

“The first part was a questionnaire to test knowledge, then once I submitted that I received an email about three weeks later saying I was a finalist,” she says.

Amy then underwent the second vetting phase involving an online interview and a filmed creation of two different assigned dishes.

Finally, at a gala event, she was officially recognised among state leaders in the field.

Amy first fell in love with cooking and hospitality in Year 10.

“I applied for hospitality as a subject at school and I just really enjoyed it,” she says. “I chose it again in Year 11, which was when services started picking up.”

Amy now works in a school-based apprenticeship in commercial cookery with The Star in its award-winning Nineteen kitchen.

Amy says the best thing about being a chef is how easily you can find work around the world.

“Once I’ve finished my apprenticeship, I would really like to travel and check out different cuisines in the actual country where they are from,” she says. 

“I would encourage other students to do hospitality because it’s more free-form than other subjects – whether you enjoy the cooking or the serving more, you can take on as many different things as you want.”