On June 21, Integreat Queensland celebrated the completion of our micro-food business course with a graduation lunch.

We couldn’t be prouder of the participants who embarked on this transformative journey with us. Each one of them brought a passion for food and a dream in their hearts.

Throughout the course, we witnessed incredible growth and resilience from the students. Some participants had to pivot or embrace new ideas and ways of thinking and we’re thrilled to announce that one participant, Lien Jeffries, has already launched her own business – That’s so Lien.

“Thanks to the micro-food business course, I not only gained my confidence but learnt how to cost ingredients, do quotations, and organise events. I also learnt how to work in a commercial kitchen as well as a run a business from a food van, and most importantly, set-up a business,” Lien said.

Integreat Queensland’s micro-food business course supported students from the culturally and linguistically diverse community to get their Food Safety Supervisor Certificate and to gain the knowledge and skills they needed to start their own food business through a series of workshops.

When Lien began the course, she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do but she knew she loved preparing and cooking tradition Vietnamese cuisine for her family.

“I knew I didn’t want to work in a commercial kitchen so at the start of the course I wasn’t sure where it was going to go,” she said.

“But after a few classes, I realised my dream was to start a business where I can either cater for small groups of people or teach people one-on-one in how to prepare and cook traditional Vietnamese food in their own home.”

Lien has now started her own catering and in-house cooking business, That’s so Lien.

“My main business is Vietnamese home cooking classes however, I can also do inhouse catering too,” she said.

“At the moment I’m focusing on my cooking classes where I go to someone’s home and teach them how to prepare and cook traditional Vietnamese dishes. I can teach one to five people at once and I show people how I cook for my family where we learn together.

“I’m so grateful for Integreat Queensland because they helped me make my dream come true.”

Integreat Queensland’s micro-food business initiative was proudly supported by the Gladstone Regional Council’s Grassroots Fund.

Photo: Micro-Food Business course students and Integreat Queensland staff celebrating their graduation.