Little Flower Pizza Sauce

A Homegrown Delight

Words by Narelle Mulrooney

When teams get together, collaborate ideas and talents, and work towards a common goal then truly remarkable things happen. The proof is in the sauce – the Little Flower Pizza Sauce.

Tess Jirik, a current Loreto College VCAL student with the aid of teacher Anne Mader, sparked the idea of creating a fully sustainable, homegrown, preservative and pesticide free pizza sauce in the anticipation of the construction of the Little Flower Pizza Oven.

Tess creating the sauce in the Little Flower purpose built, commercial kitchen - utilised by the VCAL program.

As part of the VCAL program, Tess is studying a Certificate III & IV in Kitchen Operations through the William Angliss Institute, where she is learning the art of food preparation and cookery skills. The requirements of the course sparked the idea, resulting in a remarkable collaborative effort from many sources.

Tess Jirik stands in the Little Flower veggie garden with her jar of homemade Little Flower Pizza Sauce.

Situated at the back of the Little Flower facility (the home of the Loreto VCAL program situated on Wendouree Parade) is a large garden which is lovingly tended to by the students enrolled in the VCE Agricultural and Horticultural Studies, also offered at the College. These students have grown a large variety of seasonal herbs, fruit and vegetables, including the ingredients required for the pizza sauce. The garden provides a unique link between the VCE and VCAL campuses of Loreto College, teaching students the importance of collaborative process and working together to achieve common goals.

Agriculture students Lucy King & Jasmin Hayes display their lovingly grown produce in the Little Flower Green House.

“It is important for students to know where their food comes from” explained VCAL teacher Anne Mader. “In the program we are fully dedicated to promoting home grown food, garden to plate, and to showing students how easy it is to prepare their own food without the need for takeaway.” Tess agrees saying, “home grown is definitely better than store bought, and we get to enjoy other homemade foods like pumpkin soup. We also hope to make raspberry and strawberry jam soon with the fruit currently growing in the garden.”

The VCAL program is currently focusing on a Healthy Living Program, teaching students on the importance of a healthy diet with low sugar, low fat and preservative free options on the menu. The Little Flower Pizza Sauce is definitely a great example of creating something healthy and nutritious from a few simple ingredients. Sustainability, also a key feature in the studies, meant that recycled jars were sourced and minimal plastics were used at every point. “Getting students involved in the growing of the garden, preparing quick and easy meals for themselves and limiting the disposal of packaging is also an important lesson in sustainability,” said Anne.

The label for the sauce was a combined effort from Tess and another student, Kasey Pring. They developed the name deciding to highlight where the sauce was made, and photographed the produce to be featured on the front of the label. Using computer graphics software, they created a unique label to display on the recycled jars, branding the sauce as their own.

VCAL students Mollie Tigchelaar, Molly Haintz and Amity Smith mix concrete in the building of the Little Flower Pizza Oven which is estimated to be completed in Term 2 or 3 2022.

The last collaborative effort in this story is the construction of a handmade pizza oven, the vision of semi-retired teacher, Doug Wilson, who is leading a Workskills Unit as part of the VCAL program. The students mix concrete and lay bricks following a detailed plan as part of the Unit. Once the oven is completed at the end of Term 2 or 3, it will become the main feature of an outdoor café at the Little Flower allowing future students to refine skills in hospitality, barista coffee making and food preparation. The Little Flower Pizza Sauce will be well utilised in creating tasty pizzas for all to enjoy.