A Taste of Mazenod – Celebrating Community, Connection and Culinary Talent

On Saturday 29 March, Mazenod College proudly hosted A Taste of Mazenod—an evening that brought together alumni, families, staff and friends of the College in a celebration of food, community and shared memories.

Guests enjoyed an exciting range of bite-sized dishes from some of our most accomplished alumni restaurateurs, each served from individually themed stalls in the College’s Central Courtyard. The event also marked the official launch of the Mazenod Foundation’s fundraising campaign to redevelop our Food Technology Centre—an important investment in the future of hands-on learning at Mazenod.

We were honoured to welcome celebrated chef and Old Collegian George Calombaris (MOC1996) as our special guest and patron of the campaign. In his heartfelt address, George reflected on his years at Mazenod, the importance of community, and the life-long value of learning hospitality skills.

"Mazenod is more than just a school for me. It’s a home away from home, a safe place, a community above all,” George shared. “Hospitality lessons are so important in a young man’s life. It is the simplicity of generosity of spirit—to be able to give, to cook, to care. Everyone deserves that opportunity.

The evening would not have been possible without the generous involvement of our alumni chefs and restaurateurs, who donated their time, creativity and produce. We are also deeply grateful to our current Food Technology students, who volunteered their support in the kitchen and at service points throughout the event. Their professionalism and energy were a credit to the College.

A special thanks also to the many staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the event to life, and to our event sponsors for their support in enabling our vision for the evening.

A Taste of Mazenod was more than just a celebration of culinary talent—it was a reminder of the strength and warmth of our community, and the power of coming together in support of a shared goal.

We thank everyone who attended and look forward to continuing this journey as we work towards building a modern, inspiring space for Food Technology at Mazenod.

You can learn more about our plans to redevelop Mazenod's Food Technology Centre here.