Olivia Sewell - 20

Biography

I chose a trade as a career because I enjoy hands-on work – cooking in particular – and I’m also passionate about making good food. Being able to prepare great meals for people makes me really love what I do. My current goal is to start my apprenticeship and get my Red Seal. After that, I want to work in amazing restaurants around the world. 

I was approached within my first month of culinary school by one of the instructors who asked me if I’d be interested in skills competitions. I said, “Yes”. Being in competitions for two years now has been an amazing experience, filled with many educational moments, lots of hard work, but also lots of fun. When I realized I’d be competing at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, the feeling I had was unmatched. To know that my hard work and dedication paid off is the biggest feeling of accomplishment I’ve ever had. My biggest challenge at the WorldSkills Competition is going to be not burning out. I’m really looking forward to pushing my limits and learning from this event. 

Interesting fact 
I’ve gotten into gardening over the past couple of years. I love how rewarding and beneficial it is to cook with fresh herbs and produce that I grew right from my backyard! 

Skills for Success 
Out of the nine plus one Skills for Success, Adaptability has played the biggest role throughout my training process and competition. There were moments that an issue would occur, such as a missing ingredient, and I’d have to quickly adapt to that situation.