The Fifteen Foundation’s Executive Director, Mr. Peter Brown on behalf of the Board and staff, wholeheartedly acknowledges and supports the timely watershed Australian historical event which took place on the 13th February, 2008, in the National Parliament, Canberra.

Fifteen Foundation (Australia) thanks Prime Minister Rudd for the long awaited apology, which has clearly demonstrating his capacity for leadership and his commitment to the nation’s Indigenous Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian Government.  By so powerfully acknowledging the pain, degradation and humiliation suffered by many Indigenous Australians, this Government has now established the foundation upon which this nation can work together to ensure a better future for all of its peoples.  This simple and poignant act offers hope and inspiration for all Australians to ensure that atrocities of the past will never be perpetrated upon Indigenous Australians again.  A lasting bridge has been built through the act of saying Sorry and encourages us all.  The Fifteen Foundation applauds and commends this government for taking the courageous step towards making amends and setting things right for the future of us all.  As part of our commitment to reconciliation the Fifteen Foundation (Australia) has set an annual target of 10% indigenous recruitment into our Chef Training Program.

A government initiative, SkillsOne were so impressed with our unique training model they decided to put together a short clip to promote our work to other training organisations. Hear us talk about the Foundation and the importance of apprenticeships within the hospitality industry here.

A recent sourcing trip took us to a commercial mushroom grower just outside the city. Bulla mushrooms have an excellent facility, and gave Fifteen an in depth tour of their operation. Specialising in button and flat mushrooms, Alf and Frank have been in the game for over 20 years. We got to see how mushrooms are cultivated, picked, graded and packed before being sold into markets and restaurants.

From there we headed over to Goona Warra Vineyard where the chef prepared a special menu showcasing this delicious fungus. Paired with some lovely Goona Warra wines, and sitting in the 1860's wine cellar made for a very memorable lunch.

A big thank you to the Australian Mushroom growers, and in particular the amazing Vikki Leng for hosting such a brilliant day.

Over the summer months Melbourne Zoo hosted the Fifteen Foundation for an amazingly informative and fun experience, learning all about the diets and food preparation for the remarkably diverse range of animals housed at the Zoo. There are literally thousands of hungry mouths – and beaks – to feed every day. The apprentices learnt that the Zoo regularly receives pallets of fresh produce from the Footscray markets, and like Fifteen, only use the best quality available! Our zoo guide and host for the day was Acting CEO, Matt Vincent, who gave generously of his time explaining the finer points of zoo food and the dietary needs of the animals. The Fifteen apprentices had the experience of a lifetime, getting up close and personal with the Fairy Penguins, Meerkats, and the Gorillas (although not too close with the later!). It was a fun and educational day for all participants, which, although well outside the normal routine of the Fifteen kitchen had some surprising similarities. Many thanks to all the Zoo staff who made for such a fantastic educational experience.


‘The zoo was awesome…especially preparing the fruit and vegetables for the Gorillas…I didn’t realize that they need to have such a big variety of food to stay healthy.’
  - Andrew, Apprentice

Arnie, Dom and Ian had the crew down to their amazing bakery at theAbbotsford Convent to teach them how to bake ciabatta, turkish bread, pizza dough, sourdough and scones in their 100 year old wood fired ovens. With over 40 years experience, Ian guided our apprentices through the finer points of working a dough to produce a great loaf of bread. A big thank you for everyones time and expertise!