DENPASAR, Bali (BPN) – The Australian Consulate-General in Bali supported a culinary masterclass for students from ROLE Foundation’s Bali WISE program with Australian chef Penelope Williams and Australian alumni chef, Natalia Halim, last Friday (9/9/2022).
This masterclass included an interactive Q&A focused on the role of food in culture and family with a hands-on tutorial on food presentation in a professional kitchen. The event also highlighted Australia’s world-class hospitality expertise and vocational training.
Chef Williams and Chef Halim also shared their experiences of what it is like to be a female Chef in a male-dominated industry, the challenges, and opportunities for women in hospitality, and the importance of equal opportunity and fair conditions.
As many as 25 female students from the Bali WISE program participated in the masterclass as part of their hospitality skills and confidence-building program.
The Australian Consul-General in Bali, Anthea Griffin said in her welcome remarks, “The food here in Bali is one of the many things Australians love about this island. The shared creativity and passion for food is yet another link in our strong people-to-people connections.”
“Australia is known for its world-class culinary arts training, skills, and industry, with students and visitors from all over the globe coming to enjoy and study the culinary cultures of Australia. These two chefs [are] here today to share their skills and knowledge gained from world-class education and experience,” added Consul-General Griffin.
Chef Penelope Williams is an Australian chef from Sydney and owner of Bali Asli restaurant in Candidasa, a celebrated Balinese restaurant and cooking school that promotes Balinese cuisine and culture with an emphasis on sustainability and fair-trade principles.
Australian alumni chef, Natalia Halim, studied pastry-making at William Angliss Sydney and is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, Australia. Currently based in Bali, Halim has worked in various well-known restaurants in Indonesia, Australia, and Europe.
ROLE Foundation, an Australian-founded non-profit organization based in Bali, runs the Bali WISE program that empowers marginalized women from Bali and Eastern Indonesia through free six-month basic life skills and vocational training program. The foundation is also a recipient of the Australian Consulate-General’s Direct Aid Program (DAP).
