Bega TAFE Industry Night showcases students' work to the heads of hospitality in region.

The Barracks Restaurant welcomed restaurant owners, chefs and front of house staff for the 2022 Industry Night as a common thread began to emerge throughout discussions - how do we encourage more people to join the hospitality industry?

The industry had seen great success across the region, however often struggled to keep up with demand, particularly over the the busier summer period.

READ ALSO:

Guest speakers for the evening were new Hotel Australasia chef Luke Wakefield and Australian Culinary Federation NSW and ACT director Julio Azzarello, who each shared wisdom and stories of where the industry had taken them.

Both spoke about the incredible produce on offer to restaurants in the region, while Chef Wakefield touched on the incredible potential of the region and the vision for Hotel Australasia.

READ ALSO: Sneak peak at Eden's Hotel Australasia accommodation

"To have fresh prawns in my hand, I haven't had that for my whole 20 year career.

"What we're planning to do at Hotel Australasia is to create a future institution for that town [Eden] and provide a venue that will bring out these producers and help to make them shine," he said.

The menu had a theme of "classical with a twist" as seasonal courses were paired with a variety of wines, while Gin and Tonic with cucumber pearls was enjoyed by guests upon arrival.

Head of Hospitality at Bega TAFE Deirdre Jory emceed the evening, and applauded the work of her students over the course of the semester.

Ms Jory noted that the TAFE students' ages ranged from teenagers to one of the waitstaff in their 60s, which she believed to be one of the secrets in addressing the region's staffing issues.

"We rely on tourism and hospitality so much in this South Coast area, that we need to foster this and we need encourage our kids to be a part of it as well as adults," she said.

ACF's Julio Azzarello echoed this sentiment with suggestions to attract staff, and said that while challenges were evident, the area's industry was still in great shape.

"The more we start advertising what we've got here and being proud of the region, it will be very successful.

"It's not just retention any more, how do we attract them [staff] into the industry. Maybe short courses, micro-credentials. Maybe an apprenticeship isn't for everybody. We've got to put our thinking caps on," he said.

The evening closed with a presentation to the TAFE chefs and kitchen staff, who each received aprons and books for their hard work to go along with a rousing applause from the event's guests.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: