Future chefs gain industry experience

An education partnership is helping aspiring chefs gain hands-on experience in some of Newcastle’s leading restaurant kitchens.

Newcastle College teamed up with Newcastle Business Improvement District, NE1, to offer 12 students the chance to learn from chefs and restaurant teams across the city.

The initiative formed part of the NE1 CAN programme, with students visiting venues including Blackfriars, Maldron Hotel, Meat Stack, Wagamama and I Scream for Pizza.

The programme concluded with a cook-off at Newcastle College’s Lifestyle Academy, based at its Rye Hill Campus, where students were challenged to create dishes inspired by the restaurants they had visited.

Given a set ingredient budget and two hours to prepare their dishes, the students were judged by industry experts including Ruth Terrington, operations director at Hooked on Group, alongside Maldron Hotel’s HR director Lucy Campbell and head chef Kieran Fear.

Highly commended dishes included Senuka Vithanage’s homemade fresh pasta tagliatelle and Jayden Hunter’s katsu curry pizza with teriyaki chicken topping.

Dylan Thompson, Level 1 hospitality and catering student at Newcastle College, said: “This experience has been really enjoyable and has helped me grow in confidence, as well as developing my skills in a real kitchen environment. 

“Visiting different hospitality businesses showed me there are lots of different career opportunities in the industry, not just becoming a chef. 

“Meeting professionals and seeing how they work has been really inspiring and has confirmed that this is a career I want to pursue in the future."

Ruth added: “Having supported the NE1 CAN programme for a number of years, I find it very rewarding to see the impact it has on young people. 

“Watching these students grow in confidence from their first visit to Blackfriars, where many were understandably nervous and unsure of themselves, to presenting and cooking with such pride and professionalism at the end-of-programme cook-off has been fantastic. 

“Programmes like NE1 CAN play a vital role in raising aspirations, showcasing career opportunities, and helping young people realise what they are capable of achieving.”

Kieran added: “I found the project really enjoyable, I enjoyed meeting with the students and was particularly impressed with the both the improvement in the students’ confidence and the quality of the dishes produced in the cook-off. 

“All of the dishes fit the brief, they were all very original, and inspired by the places the students have visited, best of all they were all cooked and presented beautifully. 

“I’m interested to see what these students do next, as well as see what we can do in future with the next group.”

Newcastle College says the programme supports its wider aim of helping the next generation of hospitality and catering talent gain industry experience, develop practical skills and build confidence.

Alex Finch, work experience coordinator at Newcastle College, added: "This project has been invaluable for our students. 

“From their first visit in September to the final cook-off, we've seen a huge growth in confidence, skills and professionalism. 

“Working alongside NE1 and together giving our students access to some of Newcastle’s leading hospitality businesses has given them a real insight into the industry, helping them develop as young chefs while exploring the wide range of career opportunities available. 

“It’s been fantastic to see them take inspiration from their experiences and use their creativity to produce dishes entirely their own.”

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