A passion for cooking

DAB HAND: Commis chef Dan Johns. Picture supplied

A passion for cooking led Dan Johns (Ngāpuhi) to leave his service station job to become a kitchen hand and has now seen him follow his dream of becoming a chef by studying at EIT Tairāwhiti.

Dan, who hails from Auckland where he went to school and worked for a while, moved to Gisborne nearly seven years ago to be closer to the family of his partner, Shiane, when she became pregnant with their first child.

“I was working at a petrol station and realised it was just getting me nowhere. I've always had a passion for cooking. Just by chance, I saw a kitchenhand job going in this restaurant in Gisborne, so I applied for it, went for a trial, got the job, and then got motivated to do the NZ Certificate in Cookery (Level 3) to move on up to be a chef.”

The restaurant was popular local Gisborne eatery, The Works, where Dan is still employed.

He completed the level 3 programme at EIT's Tairāwhiti campus in July, and he is set to begin the NZ Certificate in Cookery (Level 4) in February next year with the intention of moving up the ranks at his restaurant.

For Dan, who is now senior commis chef at The Works, it is the craft of creating food that he enjoys.

“It's about the creation really and making people happy with food. It just brings joy when you serve someone up a dish and you see that sparkle in their eye. Letting someone taste a food combination for the first time or simply making people happy is what I appreciate and love about cooking.”

Even before he took it up as a career, Dan loved cooking.

“I was self-taught. I watched cooking shows and I just got tips from that and then experimented at home with my own combinations, and I really enjoyed it. It was calming for me.”

Since then, Dan believes his skills have benefited from the level 3 programme and he has particularly enjoyed the way his lecturer, Tony Davis, teaches.

“The teaching techniques of Tony made learning fun for me — it actually got through for me. One of his common sayings is: ‘Would you pay for it?' He doesn't straight away say: ‘You've done this wrong.' He'll ask you if you can see where your mistake was and then go from there.”

Dan says supportive managers at the restaurant have made it easier for him to focus on his studies, with him able to work shifts that suit his lectures. Working split shifts at the restaurant also allows him to spend time with his children. He has six in total, but three of them live in Auckland.

“Because the study was only three days a week, I would study in the day and then have a couple of hours at home before doing the night shift. It was my boss who actually suggested I do the level 3 programme and then my head chef was really supportive as well.”

Dan is already thinking beyond the level 4 programme and is keen on doing the NZ Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) Level 5, Cookery strand.

“If I want to move up to be a head chef, I will need the level 5 qualification because they do more on nutrition, costing and things like that. But it would mean moving to Napier because that is where they offer it.”

Dan found the programme to be exactly what was needed to advance in his career.

He said the course has prepared him for the job and he has since had a promotion at work. The programme covered all of the topics needed and the practical classes taught the skills required in a professional kitchen.

He is now looking forward to following up with the level 4 cookery programme next year to further his knowledge and opportunities.