in Surrey, one Michelin-star executive chef Richard Davies at The Bybrook at The Manor House, Castle Combe, and current MasterChef The Professionals winner, Steven Edwards, who is head chef at The Camellia in South Lodge near Horsham.

Designed to tackle the issues of chef recruitment and retention head on, the Academy has been carefully constructed to provide a complete plot-to-plate education for the chefs, including supplier visits, theory, supervisory skills workshops and masterclasses as well as cooking for the high profile guests within the banqueting and restaurant kitchens of Exclusive Hotels
and Venues.
Andy is always on the lookout for hungry, talented and motivated chefs who have the passion and determination to go far. He describes the Exclusive Chefs Academy as ‘no walk in the park’ and a ‘tough challenge’ but one that will absolutely pay off for the candidates luckily enough to secure their place given that it offers a rare opportunity for the chefs to ‘learn in two years what might typically take five.’

The current 2014 programme, launched in July 2014, has 13 chefs enrolled from colleges and universities across the UK and from within the Exclusive group of hotels and venues. In securing their place, the candidates had to complete a rigorous online application form, two skills tests and an onsite assessment day to demonstrate their commitment to the programme. Applications for 2015 will open in April 2015.
Head over to the
website for further details and follow the action on twitter
@ExcChefsAcademy