Peyton cooks up a storm

Peyton Dunlop has always loved baking. When it came time for her to choose a career path, it was a pretty easy decision.

In her spare time, Peyton Dunlop loves nothing more than whipping up a gorgeous cake for her family and friends.

She takes great joy in seeing the finished product, but also enjoys the process.

“I always used to watch cooking shows and thought they were so cool,” says Peyton.

“I started cooking pretty young and it just continued on and became a love for baking.”

Peyton decided to combine Chisholm’s VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VETDSS) with her Year 11 studies.

The option allows secondary students to learn valuable workplace skills and knowledge and pathway to an apprenticeship, employment or further study at TAFE or university.

Peyton completed a Certificate II in Kitchen Operations (Patisserie).

“I really enjoyed the practical work of the course and learning new skills,” says Peyton.

“I loved learning about different parts of patisserie, like how to make breads and cakes and all the technical work involved.”

Peyton says she picked up some great skills through the course, which really helped grow her confidence in the kitchen.

“My teacher was very enthusiastic,” she says. “He shared his knowledge and was very good at getting us to try new things.”

Peyton proved to be an outstanding student and was nominated as Secondary Student of the Year at the 2023 Chisholm Education Awards.

“I enjoy learning and tried my best,” says Peyton. “I always tried to participate.”

After finishing at Chisholm, Peyton started working two days a week at Koo Wee Rup Bakery while completing Year 12.

She plans to continue working and doing short courses to further her skills. Her dream is to become a pastry chef and own her own business.

Aside from patisserie, Peyton is also passionate about her church and is excited to be going on a mission when she turns 19 to spread the word about her faith.

“For 18 months I go away. I don’t know where I’ll go, but I’ll go full-time for the church, share the gospel and serve in the community that I get sent to.

“I’m really excited. I’m nervous about being away from home, but it’s a pretty cool experience.”

Peyton’s advice to other high school students considering doing VETDSS was to be prepared to learn.

“Try your hardest and you’ll get the most out of it,”  she says.

When Peyton’s not baking or volunteering with her church, she loves to read fantasy novels, play guitar and learn about other countries. For kicks, she decided to try to teach herself Korean!

“It’s not as hard as other languages but it is still tricky to remember,” she says. “I love the culture and the people and I want to go there, so I just want to learn as many things as I can.”