Richard Dixon, Food and Beverage lecturer

The Staff Canteen

Chef Career Advice

Based on his extensive experience working within Culinary Education Industry, food and beverage culinary hospitality lecturer, Richard Guy Dixon offers his advice to aspiring Chefs in an attempt to help them on their journey up the career ladder:

My name is Richard Guy Dixon, I am a food and beverage culinary hospitality lecturer here at Westminster Kingsway College.

I would say you would need to gain a little bit of experience and exposure to the front of house operations, so in a waiting or bar capacity something along those lines doesn't matter whether or not it is in a top standard establishment or in a local café, but just to get a little bit of exposure and understanding of the industry.

Young food service professionals will expect to have to work hard, the best bit of careers advice that I have been given is to get out there and experience some of the food and beverage aspects within the industry I am looking for them to be well groomed, quite well spoken, confident, a very good appearance and enthusiastic.

Enthusiasm has to be there a little bit of education, you have to be able to demonstrate key levels of Maths and English. A food service professional once they have achieved 3 years at Westminster Kingsway should be able to go out into the work place and be able to demonstrate top level service standards and the doors will open for those individuals that can demonstrate that.

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 30th March 2017

Richard Dixon, Food and Beverage lecturer