We all love cheesecake. But a Certificate III Commercial Cookery student at Goulburn TAFE has a particularly special place in her heart for the popular dessert.

Tahlia Collins credits the childhood memory of baking vanilla cheesecake with her grandmother for providing the inspiration for her budding career as a chef.

And that inspiration seems to be working. Tahlia has just been named as the winner of the Margaret Fulton Scholarship, an accolade that will help propel her career into some big city restaurants, a significant achievement for someone who's only 18 years old.

The scholarship includes a knife set, a cooking uniform, $1,000 in cash and a week of work experience in a capital city of her choice. Tahlia has chosen a restaurant in Sydney as the location of her work experience.

"I was really happy to get the opportunity to apply for this one," she told the Goulburn Post of the scholarship. "There needs to be more opportunities like this because it's really amazing when you get them."

Now Tahlia carries the original, dog-eared handwritten recipe for her grandmother's cheesecake around with her in her personal cookbook.