Chefs for Compassion

Twenty Year 10 students volunteered their Saturday night to partner with the Chefs for Compassion Trust in hosting an incredible banquet at Avondale College. The event was designed to honour an Auckland family for their courage through adversity.

Technology teacher Ms Eleanor Battley explains: "When our family was introduced to us, they noted that since their child was diagnosed with cancer in May, they haven't had many opportunities to go out as whanau." 

After the event the family thanked the students for the for the experience, saying: "The food and service was beyond our expectations. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Avondale College and wish the students the very best on their chefing adventures."

The four-course menu featured a range of choices, including smoked salmon crostini, a grazing platter, roasted tomato soup, chicken tacos, samosas, Manchurian balls, a crayfish platter, eye fillet steak, lamb rack, asparagus linguini, chocolate mousse, cheesecake, chocolate dipped strawberries, birthday cake and barrista-made coffee. Drinks included elderflower and mint spritzer, berry infused iced tea and, and a sunrise mocktail. 

Every aspect of the event was led by students. Some key roles were:

• Joshua Grant "Meeting and Greeting"

• Nethini Dharmadasa leading "Event Management."

• Sanithya Costa leading "Event Design" - transforming the kitchens into a welcome lounge and banquet hall

• Abigail Stevenson as "Graphic designer and Photographer": designing the invites, menus, place cards and all the event photography. 

• Som Yadav leader of "Food Design and Prep" 

• Leigh Alsado leader of "Waitstaff", also frying 11 eye fillet stakes to perfection. 

• Rosemary Zhang played the harp for the event.

• Rashi Panchal and Rachelle Fernando were the "Bar Managers" for the non-alcoholic cocktail bar

• Monica Dean, Tanvi Govind, Vrinda Kumar, Eilin Luddy Bravo, Penelope Wong, Madison Thompson and Chelsea Rush also worked passionately and took on many job roles as required.  Their main goal was to maintain "compassion under pressure" during a complex event. Many things could (and did) go wrong but their mantra was always "no blame, improve" in every situation.   Teachers involved were Ms Batley, Ms De Thierry and Mr Desa.  

  
  

Special thanks to:

• Ms Cook for the phenomenal birthday cake (pictured)

• Tony Dooley and Marty Smith from Chefs for Compassion - for mentoring the students through their first banquet

• The Child Cancer Foundation for teaming us with a family

• Our guest family for being such wonderful guests. 

We will be offering this extra-curricular opportunity to a new cohort of twenty Year 10s in 2026.