Food Truck a Cool Treat

This week we welcomed Old Collegian, Gemma Scarborough back to campus with her ice cream van, Minty B. Gemma was a food technology student during her time at College who has gone on to own and operate a successful business venture offering vegan ice cream from her revamped mint green 1970’s classic caravan.

The last couple of years has seen a burst of growth in vegan market stalls, popups and street food options around the city and the Minty B van is quickly gaining a name as one of the newest and trendiest additions on the food scene. With the assistance of a food technologist, Gemma has developed signature soft freeze vegan ice creams, sorbets and toppings that are gluten-free and dairy-free. On her visit to the College, a delicious black doris plum or vanilla coconut ice cream was on offer.

Minty B’s visit was well timed for a day when our Year 10 students were preparing a menu for ‘clients with dietary constraints’ so Gemma’s focus on ‘free’ food, tied well with the theme.

During the course of this year, our Food Technology students have been fortunate to receive visits from a range of Food Trucks in support of their learning. Preparing students to excel in the highly competitive culinary industry goes far beyond teaching how to create the final product that appears on a plate. Many consumers now have an intense interest in the origin of the ingredients they are eating, how they are produced, the nutritional and health value as well as the practices that are used in kitchens, especially around sustainability. All of these factors and many more have to be considered with an eye on the bottom line, so the economics of the hospitality industry is a vital component of our students’ learning.

Of course sometimes, we overlook ‘the important stuff’ and live for the moment. Gemma’s ice creams were delicious!