Original MasterChef NZ winner Brett McGregor cooks up a storm for St. Marcellin School students

Mills Marshall (Year 8, right foreground) conducts a taste test while Strata Lounge executive chef Brett McGregor looks on.

Original MasterChef NZ winner Brett McGregor was recently at St. Marcellin School cooking up a storm for the students as part of the Healthy Lunches in Schools programme.

McGregor visited the school to educate the students on the future of food systems, waste and where to go from here, and to cook and eat together, focusing on tastes and cuisines from around the world.

Dante Momoisea (Year 5), Zechariah Rasabale (Year 4), Taniela Rasabale (Year 6) and Cassius Ngatai-Martin are delighted with executive chef Brett McGregor's cooking.

“He talked about food preparation and safety and prepared a delicious Mexican nacho meal that the students enjoyed,” said principal Belinda Backwell. “Given the empty plates at the end, it was a meal that their discerning taste buds enjoyed,” she said.

McGregor comes from Auckland and is a brand ambassador for Compass, which provides school lunches at St. Marcellin School, promoting healthy eating and balanced diets. He was a teacher at an international school in Hong Kong and became a deputy principal when he returned to New Zealand, and is now the executive chef at Auckland International Airport’s Strata Lounge.

Ammita Sinaikala (Year 1), Rishi Thomas (Year 1) and Aiden Brijesh (Year 3) enjoy their healthy meal.

History

St. Marcellin School was established in the 1980s, having previously been a Marist Brothers school, as an intermediate Catholic school for Years 7 and 8. In 1984, following the closure of St. Anthony’s School, the kids were brought around to St. Marcellin, bolstering it and transforming it into a full primary school.

“I started as a teaching principal this year, with a roll of 32 students and two teachers, yielding a high teacher/student ratio,” said Backwell. “We now have 36 students and are looking to grow the roll. The school provides a strong Catholic character. It gives a good, holistic approach to the social and emotional wellbeing of the children, with a faith-based curriculum. The children are lovely here. We’ve got fantastic support from our whānau with a lovely community who are very involved. Lots of volunteers help with the children - Nans help cut fruit in the mornings, and volunteers stamp journals and laminate materials.”

“We have a close connection with Gonville Kindergarten - one of the lead teachers, and an ex-pupil of the school, takes the children for [a] Pasifika cultural group [session] each week. At the end of this term, the children are putting on a Pasifika concert.”