Top culinary professional SKYCITY Auckland Director of Kitchens, Mark Wylie, is urging hospitality students to invest in training for the good of their future careers.

For the third year in a row, Mark has been named Chief Judge of the prestigious Nestl Toque d'Or student culinary competition. He said over that time and during his working career he's seen a lot of students come and go.

"The best advice I can offer them is to be patient and continue to spend time training in order to master the basics. In doing so they will build a solid foundation for future growth."

He said to become a true talent on the culinary stage students need to continue to invest in their education.

"They need to work in the right places from the bottom up and continue to challenge themselves. While there can be quick wins for talented students, often this can prove detrimental to their long-term career development, as they can stop learning new skills and never reach their full potential."

Mark said during his career he had deliberately taken a 'step backwards' accepting roles that could help him to refine his culinary skills and acquire new ones.

"It's all about gaining confidence, credibility and the skills necessary to succeed in this fast-paced industry. If students are focused on achieving that then they are bound to excel wherever they go."

Mark will take centre stage at the 2011 Nestl Toque d'Or, when he leads a panel of 15 of the country's leading chefs and culinary professionals. He along with the other judges will be responsible for assessing the abilities of the student teams as they prepare and present six covers of a three course meal in the live kitchen cook off.

Mark said he is pleased to be returning to the competition and is looking forward to seeing how the next lot of students handle the pressure of such a fiercely fought culinary battle.

"It's always exciting to see new emerging culinary talent as they come through the ranks," he said.

"Year after year, we see great results and students who demonstrate huge potential. Many of the students go on to have outstanding careers both locally and offshore.

"As a person who works with young chefs all the time, it's also particularly pleasing to see such a high calibre and standard of training becoming commonplace in our industry."

Nestl Toque d'Or Event Manager, Pip Duncan, said Mark was the ideal choice for Chief Judge, due to his wealth of international culinary knowledge.

"Mark has had an outstanding career both in New Zealand and in the United States. He has successfully competed on the International stage and trained culinary individuals at junior and senior levels, and national and country teams.

She said for the competing students, the event provides an ideal forum for them to test their skills and expertise against other top competitors.

"The experience they gain while training for and ultimately competing in the event is invaluable. Students often make contact with key professionals in the industry and are offered jobs.

"We are seeing past Nestl Toque d'Or competitors in leading restaurants, it's a great launch pad for many chefs including: Bernard Barnabe of dine by Peter Gordon; Sonya Paget, the Narrow Room and; John Allred, Osteria del Toro.

This year's Nestl Toque d'Or competition will take place on Monday 4 July at the ASB Auckland Showgrounds. Aside from Nestl Professional who is the main sponsor of the event, other sponsors include Beef + Lamb New Zealand, vegetables.co.nz, Akaroa Salmon and The House of Knives.