Hannah Rickit from Whitireia and WelTec has been selected from 215 applicants for a place in the Anchor Food Professionals Proud to be a Chef program.
Hannah, who graduated last year in the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4), is one of 32 apprentices who have been selected to take part in the prestigious mentoring program that offers aspiring chefs a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from two of the industry’s brightest stars.
“It is awesome to have been picked from such a large group of talented people. It feels great to be able to share my vision for food and inspire people the way they inspire me”, says Hannah.
Mentors partnering with the 2026 finalists are Sarah Todd - renowned chef and television personality, whose rise to fame began on MasterChef Australia and Gareth Whitton - acclaimed pastry chef and founder of Melbourne’s cult favourite Tarts Anon.
Fonterra Oceania Foodservice Director Victoria Landells said the mentoring program aims to elevate talent by providing a platform for apprentice chefs to learn from the best, through an immersive four-day program. “We have a wealth of developing talent throughout Australia and New Zealand and believe that providing opportunities at the grass roots level will help elevate the next generation of chefs to be truly world-class,” she said.
Resident mentor and Anchor Food Professionals Executive Chef Mark Normoyle, leads the judging panel, and explains that the standard of entries was so high that selecting the 32 finalists from the 215 applications was a challenge. “All entries were of an extremely high calibre, but we had to narrow it down to an outstanding list of 32 aspiring chefs. I cannot wait to see what we can do together with our industry mentors,” he said.
One standout apprentice who best demonstrates their passion and skills over the four-day period will be awarded a culinary scholarship tailored to their individual aspirations as a professional chef.
As part of the program, the finalists will travel to Melbourne for a four-day, experiential journey of masterclasses, skills workshops, and a full ‘paddock to plate’ experience, before using the end-product to create their own dishes.
Proud to be a Chef 2026 runs from 1 to 4 February in Melbourne. For more information visit www.proudtobeachef.com.
Image: (L-R) Gareth Whitton, Mark Normoyle and Sarah Todd.
