Hannah Kane, Le Cordon Bleu Scholarship finalist

The Staff Canteen
Hannah Kane

Hannah Kane discusses her experiences as Le Cordon Bleu Scholarship finalist and her own inspirations with regards to pursuing a career as a Chef.

Name: Hannah Kane

Age: 18

So you are the youngest contestant, why did you decide to apply for the scholarship?

Well I guess I love food, Le Cordon Bleu is such a big name, and a few years ago, my home economics teacher, we were making pancakes and she said: “they’re not exactly Cordon Bleu” and I asked what that was. I went straight home that night and looked it up, and it’s stuck with me ever since. About two years ago I saw that they had a scholarship, and I was too young at the time but as soon as I turned 18 I applied.  

Have you had much experience in the industry so far?

Well last year I finished doing level 1 in Hospitality, front-of-house and back-of-house, but I didn’t find it challenging enough. I would like to be at a higher level than that, and Le Cordon Bleu is the best.

So what about the scholarship in particular attracted you the most?

The whole course is amazing and would give you a huge head start. The internship as well would be completely invaluable.

Have you worked in any establishments within the industry before?

Well, right now where I live there aren’t many opportunities at all, so I work in a small restaurant, in a small town, as a waitress because there is only one Chef. There aren’t many opportunities where I live, so Cordon Bleu is such a huge opportunity.

Is that why you choose London?

 Yeah, there are so many more opportunities here than at home.

When did you realise you were passionate about cooking?

Well my father is a fisherman, that’s his hobby, and my grandfather is a gardener so my whole family is really passionate about food, I kind of grew up surrounded by food all the time. When I realised I could coo

Le Cordon Bleu

So what is your plan for the future?

Basically just work wherever will take me, get as much work experience as possible. Eventually, because my grandfather is a gardener, I would love to open a farm to table restaurant. So looking at really fresh ingredients rather than mass produced quantity over quality. Obviously, I wouldn’t jump straight into that, I want loads of experience beforehand.

The experience you want, is that in restaurants or another sector of the industry?

Anything that I can get, I just love cooking.

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The Staff Canteen

Editor 23rd March 2017

Hannah Kane, Le Cordon Bleu Scholarship finalist