Junior Chefs have recipe for success

EIGHTEEN young chefs celebrated their graduation from the Junior Chefs’ Academy programme at the Northern Regional College on Saturday 11th December. The Junior Chefs cooked in full whites in a professional kitchen preparing a special lunch for family, friends and key sponsors at the Ballymena Campus in Oj’s Restaurant. Special guests included Lynas Foods who provided sponsorship of the event and Ricky Hayes, Fine Dining Chef, Galgorm Resort and Spa.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Dec 2010, 08:58 BST

The Junior Chefs’ Academy gives 12 to 16 year olds with a flair for cooking a taste of a chef’s life. It is organised by People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism and Compass Group UK and Ireland, a worldwide contract catering company.

Congratulating the young chefs on their graduation success Roisin McKee of People 1st said: “Junior Chefs’ Academy is a fun-filled, hands-on introduction to cooking as a career and gives young people a skill for life. Inspiring future chef talent to join our growing and dynamic industry is key to Northern Ireland achieving its tourism potential. People 1st research shows a need for more skilled chefs with around 1,000 additional chefs required in Northern Ireland by 2017.

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We have just introduced a follow on programme called The Next Level for Junior Chefs’ graduates to build on skills learned and Next Level courses begin in colleges across Northern Ireland in January 2011.”

The eighteen graduates from six local schools all attended NRC Ballymena Campus and were presented with medals and certificates by Tony Madden, Head of School Hospitality & Catering and Junior Chefs’ Academy supporter Lynas Foods Services.

Graduating were Beth Adair, Beth Campbell, Emily Chestnutt, Sarah Clements, Jayne McFetridge and Peter Reid from Antrim Grammar School, Janelle Close, Alex Henderson and Jonathan Moore from Ballyclare Secondary School, Eimear Donaghy, Erin Mullan and Laura McGarry from St Louis Grammar School, Fionnuala Donnelly and Charlotte O’Keane from St Mary’s Grammar School, Jonathan Morrow from Larne High School and Joanna Patterson from Carrickfergus Grammar.

Over a 10 week period on Saturday mornings the young people learned about how to get the best out of local ingredients, plan menus, and how to cook a variety of starters, main courses and desserts.

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The Junior Chefs’ Academy programme is funded by Compass Group UK & Ireland, is industry led and supported by The Institute of Hospitality, the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Pubs of Ulster, NICO the Northern Ireland Culinary Organisation and City and Guilds.

The next foundation course of Junior Chefs’ Academy begins on 8th April 2011 at NRC Ballymena Campus and the new STEP UP Junior Chef programme which is the next level to the foundation course begins on 8th January 2011 at NRC’s Ballymoney Campus.

Related topics:Northern Regional CollegeNorthern Ireland