A life changing event
That’s how Josie Macfarlane describes her Level 4 Cookery programme at Otago Polytechnic. Originally from Christchurch, Josie was drawn to Dunedin to study medicine. After being accepted by the School of Medicine, she decided it wasn’t for her and did a degree instead.
“I did a BSc with Honours in Neuroscience and then a post graduate diploma in medical ultra sound. But, I’ve always been intensely passionate about food so when I hit 30 I thought ‘if not now, probably never.”
Josie and her business partner are now planning to open a catering and food home delivery company, targeted at busy professionals who want delicious, healthy food at home but don’t have time to prepare it. The business will focus on providing high quality, well-presented food.
“I decided to do the programne because I knew I needed to learn more about the different aspects of food, as well as the commercial side. People have always told me I should open a cafe but I wouldn’t have had the skills. I’m really in to education so I wanted to make sure I had the formal training. It’s not just cookery skills either; we’ve looked at marketing, ordering, pricing. Everything we need to know”
“The programme was the best thing ever. The tutors are all so passionate, they teach at a really cerebral level to make us think about why we’re doing what we’re doing. They’ve been really helpful in setting up the business; they’re so encouraging. They’ve even come out and looked at premises with us and given us their opinions. Hopefully once we get started they’ll continue giving us input; they seem really keen to have ongoing contact.”
Josie studied while continuing to work at Dunedin Public Hospital as a sonographer.
“It was really busy, especially around competitions, but it was satisfying. If I had gone in to kitchens at 18 I think I would have struggled. I got so much more out of it as a mature student; I appreciated it more.”
“Doing this programme really was a life changing event for me. It gave me the confidence to pursue my passion and made me feel like I was actually good at it. If I hadn’t done it, I think I would always regret it.”
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Story By: Ebony Hallam