Rocky stars in heat of battle

Despite rising to prominence on the silver screen for his performance in the critically acclaimed Bran Nue Dae movie, Rocky McKenzie is cooking with gas in his new career as a chef.

An apprentice at the Mangrove Resort Hotel and student at Kimberley Training Institute, the Broome culinary whiz was recognised as one of Australia's best budding chefs recently.

Mr McKenzie was selected for the 2015 Fonterra Proud to be a Chef competition in Melbourne last month, where he had the chance to learn from the best.

With 31 of the nation's best apprentices in attendance, the Kimberley cook took part in a number of workshops and masterclasses to hone his new craft.

Mr McKenzie cooked up cauliflower panna cotta with cherry-glazed Hervey Bay scallops and pearl meat ceviche, winning plaudits from the judges in the process.

The Broome chef said the experience was memorable and exposed him to new ideas and pressure.

"Working with 31 other apprentices, it was great to hear all the fresh ideas that they have," Mr McKenzie told the Broome Advertiser.

"I loved the adrenaline of competing and I definitely want to go to more competitions in the future."

Mr McKenzie's panna cotta didn't quite set as he would have liked, but he impressed the judges by using his initiative to change the dish in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

Mangrove executive chef Matt Puncher said the hospitality venue was fully supportive of their chef's ventures.

"We are very proud of what he has achieved and where it has taken him," he said.

"I am glad to see he has come back with some new ideas and we will hopefully see some signature Rocky dishes on the menu soon."

Mr McKenzie said he was not recognised in Melbourne from his acting days and was happy in his new profession.

"It's a completely different industry - the hours are the same, pretty much, but being a chef is tougher," he said.

"It seems like a lifetime ago now, but I don't miss it."