Ms Turfrey, who is 32 weeks pregnant, completed her studies, came second in a national competition and won an Ignite scholarship all the while carrying a child.
"It was hard in the early weeks, everything made me want to spew," she said.
Ms Turfrey was 12 weeks pregnant when she and her team won silver in the Nestle Toque d'Or, a premier student culinary and restaurant service competition.
While Ms Turfrey and her group were training for the event, they had to "squeeze" in with other classes, giving her the idea of experimental kitchens.
"My tutor and I talked about kitchen space and making it more beneficial," Ms Turfrey said.
"It's basically like a shared working space, but a kitchen."
With this idea she received an Ignite scholarship, winning $5000.
Ms Turfrey has been working with a mentor to get her idea off the ground.
"I've gotten to meet some influential people within the entrepreneur world," Ms Turfrey said.
The 10-week programme would be finishing two days before Ms Turfrey's due date.
The kitchen will be aimed at students and people who run markets, so they can make food fit for human consumption but not have to hire commercial kitchens.
Ms Turfrey is hoping to concentrate on getting her experimental kitchen idea up and running while she is looking after her baby.
She is expecting a boy.
Mother Lyn Gordon said she was proud of Ms Turfrey's achievements.
"It's so good she's managed to do it all and be pregnant. Some people would have given up," Ms Gordon said.
Marketing and communications manager at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Meg Jones said there were 1900 students graduating. Most hospitality students had jobs in Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Whakatane, Tauranga and Whangamata.
Another student graduating had landed an exclusive job at Auckland's new restaurant Matterhorn.
Diploma time
Bay of Plenty Polytechnic graduation is from December 14 to 16, with two ceremonies per day.
