Flambe and Cocktails: requisite skills for Army Soldier

The NZ Army does not automatically spring to mind as an environment in which to learn the art cocktail making. But for 21 year-old Corporal Josh Comerford, the art of service and fine dining is a career which has now become a real passion.

As a steward in the NZ Army, Josh is off to Japan next week to represent New Zealand in a World WorkSkills competition.

The former Mountain view High School student has  already won many awards at the New Zealand Culinary Fare and has a Diploma in Food and Beverage Service in City and Guilds exams.

Training for world champs has included working at the Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington and the competition will see Josh being judged in five main categories: fine dining, casual dining, bar service, wine and spirits knowledge, and cocktails.

Competitors from 21 countries will vie for a perfect score of 600 marks. New Zealand’s best score to date has been 454 and Josh’s aim is to beat that, as this year is his last as a competitor.

Flambé is one of his special skills in the fine dining area. This is the impressive spectacle of cooking flambé in full view of the seated diners. Only a handful of restaurants in New Zealand still offer this service and it has become a bit of a dying art, says Josh.

“I like it because you are in control of the whole meal – it’s a very personal style of service,” he says.

“My aim is to get the flame higher and higher.”

Josh says the  NZ Army has been a brilliant place for him to train.  He says he’s going to be interested to see how New Zealand and our level of training stacks up against the rest of the world.

WorldSkills sets international class standards in more than 45 skill categories ranging from cabinet making to web design.

Sixteen judges, 14 competitors and three officials make up the New Zealand team leaving for Japan within the next few days.