Demonstrating culinary flair

Alice Ward (16) works her magic in the kitchen, with mentor chef Ricky Isnato, of Crowne Plaza, during the Top Chef finale dinner. Alice won a Cromwell Polytechnic Scholarship for her work over the past five weeks. Photo by Tomm Armstrong.

Queenstown food lovers indulged in culinary delights at Crowne Plaza Queenstown's threesixty restaurant last week, when members of the Wakatipu Youth Trust's ''Beyond the Basics - Top Chef'' initiative took over the kitchen.

The programme sees Queenstown teenagers, aged 15 or 16, complete a five-week chef mentoring programme, working with different chefs each week to develop a dish to re-create at the finale dinner.

More than 80 people enjoyed the three-course meal, which included pan-seared venison on polenta and a dessert incorporating panna cotta, liquorice, meringue, lime jelly and a ''zesty lemon fizz''.

The evening raised more than $3660 for the trust. A scholarship at Cromwell Polytechnic's level 3 cookery course, valued at more than $6000, was awarded to Alice Ward (16), who showed the most promise.

Youth Worker Nathan Baxter said all the pupils had worked hard over the past few weeks and showed ''real dedicated, maturity and passion''.

''The decision was hard but in the end Alice blew us away ... and we know she will do us all proud and go on to do amazing things in the culinary world.