Investing in young chefs - An Electrolux blog by Simon Hulstone

Simon Hulstone blogs on the importance of investing in young chefs. 

One of the most important things for me as a chef (aside from putting ‘Torbaydos’ on the culinary map of course) is giving back to an industry that has given me so much over the years.

As chefs, nurturing the next generation of talent is something we all have a responsibility to deliver, but it’s about the industry as a whole too; the suppliers, the brands, the entire hospitality sector.

I was fortunate enough to benefit over the years through sponsorships and support for competitions and I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without the industry showing belief in me when I was a young chef.

Even as I write, we have a brilliant young chef apprentice in the kitchen, Victoria, who came through the Electrolux Chef Academy, a competition for third year students at culinary colleges to win three placements at some of the best restaurants in the country.

It can be a large cost for brands too when it comes to supporting young chefs and providing such a valuable platform for them in the industry – that’s why I also take my responsibility to nurture young talent so seriously, whether that be with Ben Champkin who was recently crowned NYCOTY, sharing my competition advice, or simply taking on apprentices when possible. Getting involved with catering colleges and supporting students with work experience is something I’d always encourage chefs to do.

To put it simply, investing in young chefs is imperative for the development of our industry. For me, if it wasn’t for brands like Electrolux Professional, I wouldn’t have achieved nearly as much as I have.

The industry needs the right partnerships in place that can deliver a credible growth platform for our next generation talent.