LEADING THE WAY
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CHEFS

Our Food and Hospitality business has founded a chef academy with Leeds City College with two key aims:

• To provide a place where we can inspire the next generation of young chefs
• An external source of key craft skills learning for our team members.

The three year programme is designed to prepare candidates for work by teaching the skills needed to be a chef and providing insight to the world of catering and hospitality, including front of house.

300 enthusiastic future chefs applied to join the first annual intake. Applicants are young people who are not in education or training with a passion for great food. Successful candidates are guided through an apprenticeship in Food Preparation and Cooking at the Leeds City College state of the art facilities.

The programme includes valuable work inspiration placements and regular contact with our passionate development chef team who volunteer weekly to support the young people.

2015 saw the second intake of great students. Following their induction they have been to a variety of restaurants, visited farms to see and hear from growers, cooked for our senior management with a top chef and inspired staff at our annual conference.