LAST year, Matthew McKenzie, formerly of Briagolong, was one of 40 young people chosen from thousands of applicants to participate in Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Foundation Program.

The program offered Matthew the opportunity to train as an apprentice chef.

After a gruelling selection process, Matthew progressed to being one of 20 to undertake the training program, as featured on the television series Jamie's Kitchen Australia.

The program involved a course at Box Hill Institute and practical training at Fifteen restaurant in Melbourne.

A few trainees dropped out along the way, but Matthew was one of the nine who persevered, worked diligently and was subsequently presented, along with the other eight successful trainees, with an award at a glittering cocktail party in Melbourne on Sunday, September 9.

Jamie Oliver referred to Matthew as a young man with a passion who was always first to arrive at classes.

The chef trainer at Box Hill Institute said Matthew had a real drive to succeed.

After experiencing a troubled childhood in a fractured family, Matthew was not always a co-operative student at Maffra Secondary College, reputed to be the only student to ever have been expelled from the school twice.

However, after many ups and downs during his adolescent years, Matthew, of his own accord, began working in the dairy industry, milking cows and gaining an insight into the ethics of hard work.

This experience prepared him well for the early hours and hard work required in a restaurant.

Matthew recently accepted an offer to undertake his second-year apprenticeship at the up-market Italian restaurant, Scusami, at Southbank.

Soon to celebrate his 21st birthday, Matthew is also finding time in his busy schedule to write a book about his unsettled childhood and how he managed to finally make it this far on his own.

The book will be titled Life Before 15.