Bristol’s School of Food shaping the next generation of chefs

The School of Food is the first of its kind – a chef apprenticeship programme designed to tackle the local skills shortage. It’s aimed at young people looking to break into the industry – as well as those already working in restaurants, hotels and other food businesses.

The Bristol-based initiative launched in October 2017, and is the brainchild of renowned local chefs; Josh Eggleton and Adrian Kirikmaa. The duo joined forces with Weston College, St Katherine’s School and Ashton Gate Stadium to design a vocational programme that gives talented young chefs access to high-quality kitchens, industry experts and invaluable insights.

School of Food masterclass

The idea emerged out of a conversation between Eggleton – a Michelin-starred chef and owner of the Pony & Trap gastropub in Chew Magna – and Kirikmaa, Food Ambassador and Development Manager at St Monica Trust. They decided that to address the chef shortage, chef apprenticeship training had to be more exciting, innovative and inspiring. And so, backed by Ofsted outstanding-rated and Bristol Apprenticeship Provider of the Year, Weston College, The School of Food was born.

“The chef shortage is by no means a new thing,” said Eggleton. “It’s been bubbling away for years but hardly anyone has looked at how we can fix this, this apprenticeship gives participants more time in professional kitchens, and is designed to inspire and set them up for success in an incredibly rewarding and creative industry.”

“Ninety per cent of learning is done in the kitchen, because we believe that the best way to learn about different food cultures and different methods of cooking is to be practical with it, I often pop into the kitchens to see what’s going on.”

Kirikmaa said: “We worked closely with chefs, producers and educators to design a curriculum we feel will really benefit young chefs and give them all the tools they need to succeed. What we’re looking to do with The School of Food is to pair practical skills and food knowledge with actual industry experience.”

The 12-month School of Food course includes the Commis Chef Standard Intermediate Apprenticeship, and combines work-based training. The curriculum covers everything from food preparation and nutrition to chef and knife skills, food knowledge, stock taking and the financial aspects of working in a kitchen.

Apprentices are mentored by a professional chef, who provides regular assessments and workplace visits to monitor progress. They also have access to state-of-the-art facilities, including Weston College’s Grove Restaurant, and weekly masterclasses at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol from top chefs in Bristol including co-founder Josh Eggleton, Toby Gritten from The Pump House, Rob Howell from Root, and George Livesey from Bulrush.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a School of Food apprentice you can visit their website at http://www.school-of-food.co.uk/