Djinda Ngardak Culinary Program 2025
Prepare produce Provide celebrates another successful Djinda Ngardak Culinary Program held during 24 – 28th November 2025 in Goomburrup (Bunbury), Western Australia.
This program is a celebration of culture, cuisine & community, bringing together First Nations Youth from across Western Australia where they discover new skills in hospitality, celebrate culture, food, art and sustainability.
Youth Program
Prepare Produce Provide are the originators of the Djinda Ngardak concept and have worked closely with Indigenous Elders and mentors – Lesley Ugle, Phyllis Bennell, Charmaine Chambers, Carol and Brad Vitale and Dale Tilbrook – to create this experience for our youth in 2025. The Youth program was also guided by our Youth Ambassadors who were on hand to share their experience, answer questions and help students get involved.
Since the inception of this youth-centred project, the organisation has been dedicated to supporting and promoting the involvement of educators in improving nutrition, nurturing creativity, enhancing wellbeing and building resilience among young people.
The key focus of Djinda Ngardak is to celebrate the worth and value that First Nations youth bring to the wider community. The program aims to develop First Nations youth leadership by engaging their interests, passions and skill in food preparation, cooking for family, schools and community, and broadening their future pathways into hospitality, tourism, art and culture.
The program provides a safe and supportive leaning environment where students can share their language and culture, while offering opportunities for First Nations Youth from across Western Australia to work alongside mentors and explore diverse cultural practices.
The student program was held over five days with a range of fabulous activities each day ranging from workshops in the kitchen with amazing chefs where they learnt a range of hospitality skills and gained invaluable hands-on experience. Other activities included art workshops including learning about eco-dying and weaving, as well collaborating to create the Djinda Ngardak 2025 painting, guided by our Youth Ambassador Molly West. They also had the opportunity to explore the surrounding area with bush walks and learning about bush tucker and traditional medicine from Indigenous bush rangers.
The final day of the program was the main event - the Djinda Ngardak Gala Dinner. Students and chefs worked together throughout the day and evening to host the gala dinner for over a hundred guests.
One of the schools that had students attending was St Marys College in Broome. Read what they had to say about the program here.
Teacher Currency Workshops
During the week Prepare Produce Provide hosted a range of trainer currency workshops focusing on professional development for teachers, trainers and industry professional. These workshops help to build professional and social networks and offer access to on-trend food practices, keynote speakers, tours, and interactive opportunities with specialised industry professionals.
Participants got to explore behind the scenes of the region’s renowned food and hospitality industry. Each day offered a perfect blend of expert-led workshops, cultural immersion and meaningful discussions on innovative food education. Participants had the opportunity to discover local providers, connect with Aboriginal culture and gain insight into local industry practices and the region’s culinary scene.
It was truly and unforgettable experience.
Chefs
We were fortunate and blessed to have had some amazing chefs participate this year. This program would not be possible without their passion, talent and desire to share their vast knowledge and skills with teachers and students, contributing to the success of this wonderful program. The chef’s held various workshops for both students and teachers during the course of the week and were then on hand to help create the Gala Dinner sharing their skills and expertise on the final day of the program. You can learn more about some of these chefs here.
Tanya Healy – Prepare Produce Provide Head Chef.
Tanya is a highly experienced chef, educator, and program leader who brings creativity, skill and heart to everything she does. With over 30 years’ experience in the culinary industry, she now leads Prepare Produce Provide’s key initiatives, including the Djinda Ngardak Culinary Program 2025. We are truly blessed and grateful to have Tanya leading the way. Tanya had a huge role in bringing together the Djinda Ngardak program and is totally committed and passionate about everything she does for us. As well as leading the planning and creation of the Gala Dinner, Tanya spent the week holding workshops for the students including ‘the art of plating up’ as well as working with Mellisa Palinkas on educating students and teachers on how commercial kitchens are setting up to reduce or eliminate waste, turning vegetables into pickles and preserves benefiting our gut health and eliminating waste. Thank you, Tanya, for your dedication and hard work making Djinda Ngardak 2025 the success it was.
Paul ‘Yoda’ Iskov
Paul is the Head of Fervor, a unique dining experience he established to connect people with local ingredients, many of which have been marginalised due to food inequities. He is passionate about sustainability, First Nations rights, and local excellence. Yoda has dedicated himself to training young chefs, sharing the pleasures and challenges of high-end cooking and emphasising the importance of thoughtful production and taste. Yoda has been a part of Djinda Ngardak program for a number of years now and we are extremely grateful and thankful to him for his continued contribution. Paul also held workshops throughout the week including working with Melissa Palinkas creating canapes with indigenous ingredients, as well as working with elder Dale Tilbrook giving insights into bush foods in the area and insightful ways to prepare and utilise them in your cooking. Thank you, Yoda.
Melissa Palinkas
Melissa is the executive chef and co-owner of Young George and Ethos Deli in Fremantle, renowned for her inventive, sustainable approach to cooking. Melisa has also been a part of Djinda Ngardak youth program for the last couple of years bringing her amazing skills and knowledge to both students and teachers alike in a series of workshops, in particular ‘how to build a charcuterie/grazing board’. Melissa was again on hand to help with the gala dinner working with other chefs and students to make this a memorable evening. Thank you, Melissa.
Dan Lyndon
Inspired by his grandmothers cooking Daniel brings to life the rich cultural stories and traditions of his heritage, offering a unique Indigenous culinary experience grounded in connection to country and community. Dan bought is passion to life with the idea of utilising the dessert pieces in conjunction with some native infused condiments to create a story on a plate. Using these deserts and condiments to create Aboriginal symbols to build a story, the plate became a canvas of storytelling. Dan worked with head chef Tanya on many of our projects in 2025 and we are extremely grateful to have him on board bringing his creativity and passion to everything he does. Thank you, Dan.
Romain Lassialle
Roman is a pastry chef and chocolatier from Maison Lassialle situated in the Southwest region of Western Australia. Romain is a master chef in the art of dessert and chocolate and brings the treats of French culinary dessert and chocolate to the region. Romain shared with students the art of Patisserie, starting with the building blocks of desserts, the cake, mousse and meringue. Divulging some of his secrets, the importance of taste, texture and temperature, reading your recipe and above all patience for outstanding results. Teachers visited him at Maison Lassialle for a workshop on how to mould chocolate into beautiful creations. Thank you, Romain, for your hospitality and sharing you secrets and passion with us.
Susan Whelan
Susan is the restaurant manager of Young George and an innovator behind using native ingredients in mocktails including unique regional flavors like finger lime. Susan was on hand to assist with the gala dinner event and shared some of her wizardry preparing cocktails in preparation for the event. Thank you, Susan for your contribution.
We are so grateful for their participation again this year, making the Djinda Ngardak 2025 Culinary Youth Camp a huge success.
Gala Evening
The Gala Evening is a celebration of culture and connection, and the culmination of the weeklong program were students worked alongside our amazing chefs to showcase their skills in delivering a fine dining experience utilising local produce and native ingredients for over a hundred guests.
The event was held at the St Aidan Winery in the Ferguson Valley. Guests were welcomed with a drink of our bespoke Kepa Kwab non-alcoholic beverage. The menu developed by head chef Tanya Healy, was a unique combination of seasonal local produce and First Nations ingredients, creating a culinary delight. The full menu can be viewed here.
The evening included musical entertainment with Ricky Neil Jnr and his guitarist, giving a heartfelt performance, while guests were also treated to some gazing at the night sky compliments of the Bunbury Mobile Observatory.
The evening was wonderful celebration of food, culture, connection and community, the fitting end to a week full of learning about land, food, culture, art, sharing stories and ideas and making invaluable connections on both a personal and professional level.
Read what one of our sponsors, Belmont Rotary Club had to say about the Djinda Ngardak Gala Evening.
Sponsors & Partners
A special project like Djinda Ngardak does not happen without the support of many people in the community, including our sponsors and partners. We are sincerely grateful to all those that have supported us to make this another successful Djinda Ngardak Culinary Youth Camp. Thank you for your support.