The turnout was amazing at The Staff Canteen Live’s event at Bournemouth and Poole College.
We came to inspire young minds and celebrate hospitality as an amazing career choice, joined by Adam Byatt of Michelin-starred Trinity restaurant; The Pig Group's James Golding; Pip Lacey of Hicce in London and Tom Rhodes, executive chef at Twickenham stadium.
The event was supported by Koppert Cress and Alaska Seafood, and hosted in partnership with the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Action - to which The Staff Canteen donated £1000.
Students were entered into a raffle, and the winner will be given the chance to work with one of the four chefs on the panel.
The chefs gave the industry’s young talent some advice on how to be successful in the industry - namely, by surrounding themselves by inspiring people willing to invest in their careers, and remembering that they didn’t need to stick to a single career path, and that everywhere is a good place to learn - from restaurants to college to pubs.
They stressed the importance of having goals - which James Golding said should be short and achievable, but that the most important thing was to “give it your best” - and how to deal with setbacks.
Pip Lacey admitted that she had cried in the fridge a few times. “It’s a great place to consolidate your thoughts,” she laughed.
In the face of adversity, Adam Byatt said, “You either find a great big rock and hide under it or you get back up and you do something. And that’s what I did, I started it all over again, and here I am.”
The chefs then talked about changing working conditions in the industry, which have helped make it a much better place to work, but that this did not mean that it should be confused with being easy.
They also discussed the importance of making kitchens more attractive to women – and thus, to everyone – how to pass on an understanding of provenance and sustainability, and the advent of vegetarian cooking.
In a final word of advice, Pip Lacey told students: “Enjoy it. I’ve had some incredible moments and met some incredible people. There’s been some proper shit moments but just enjoy it.”
James Golding said he thought today's event was brilliant:"It’s so important for them to hear from people with a wealth of experience, and hopefully they’ve taken something away that they can use in their lives and in their future careers”
Adam Byatt agreed, and stated that it was crucial to give students "that little pocket of inspiration to keep going into what is such a wonderful industry.”
Katie Petherbridge of Alaska Seafood said: "Yesterday was a really great event. The students were engaged, inquisitive and confident to chat to us and ask questions about Alaska Seafood. That’s exactly what we want from these events."
Winner of the raffle Tristan Seageo 1st year in NVQ professional cookery said he really enjoyed the panel event, adding that it was lovely to hear about the chefs and their backgrounds, where they came from and what they wanted to do as they progressed through.
Joe Smith, Level 2 Spec chef said he was glad to have attended in person as he’d watched it on our Instagram and Facebook before – and was glad to hear that there were many paths to success.
Kusha Rai, a second year spec chef who works at the Goring Hotel said the panel was eye opening, and particularly enjoyed hearing about James Golding’s farm to fork philosophy.
Lillie Matthews, a second year spec chef who currently works at the Ritz in London said that it was great to hear from the chefs that she looks up to and that she felt inspired to find out that even great chefs have overcome hard times.
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