Otago Polytechnic Cromwell Campus culinary students Jasmine Lewis, Dylan Lattimore, Dominic Grace and Flavia Kupka and service student Georgie Whittaker are among those who will travel to Auckland this weekend to represent their polytech and test their skills against their peers.
On Monday, Miss Lewis and Mr Lattimore, both level three diploma in professional cookery students, will cook a three-course meal for six people and Miss Whittaker, a level three national certificate in cookery student, will serve it.
All that needs to happen within two and a-half hours.
For Mr Lattimore, the prospect of cooking in a competition was like a dream come true.
''Ever since I was young ... I've had a passion for food.''
Last year, when he was in his first year of study at the polytech, he saw students in the year above train, compete and win in the competition so pushed himself to make the team this year.
Team manager and chef tutor Bill MacDonald said the competition was a prestigious event and the team had an inspired menu, which included compulsory ingredients such as Akaroa salmon, four different Nestle products and New Zealand vegetables.
Two of those Nestle ingredients, gravy powder and instant coffee, will be combined in a sauce for the main dish, a pot-roasted beef sirloin.
Mr Grace will be competing in the soup section and Miss Kupka will compete in the beef and lamb section.
Students from 12 training organisations from around New Zealand and the Cook Islands, including the New Zealand Defence Force, will take part in the competition.
Last year, students from the Cromwell campus won two gold and two silver medals.
