Future Chef in the Making: Riel Farinha Begins Stage with Michelin-Trained Merrick Webber

Fourteen-year-old aspiring chef Riel Farinha is spending four days in the professional kitchen at The Canal Inn, learning from Michelin-trained chef Merrick Webber as he prepares to embark on the next stage of his culinary education.

Riel is looking forward to starting Year 10, when he will begin a two-year programme combining school with professional catering education. One day each week, he will be released from school to study catering at UCS College Group, alongside studying Food Technology in the state-of-the-art training kitchens at Courtfields School.

And he certainly isn’t starting from scratch.

Riel has already clocked up some fantastic professional kitchen experience. He worked on stage as commis chef to Chef Jolly at the Reaton Professional Days event in Lithuania, before working with Chef Mattia at Sexy Fish Manchester for an Aussie Beef Academy event.

He has also experienced a busy Chefs’ Forum event kitchen at 24 Stories in Birmingham for the Birmingham Chefs’ Lunch and, most recently, completed a week’s work experience alongside Chef Oliver Certain at The Little Wine Shop.  Next week, he will assist with prep for the launch of The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge at Capital City College Group (formerly Westminster Kingsway College).

Now he’s adding another important experience to the list.

Four Days, One Notebook and Plenty to Learn

During his four-day stage at The Canal Inn, Michelin-trained Merrick will take Riel through the workings of a professional kitchen, from preparation and organisation through to cooking dishes from across the entire menu.

He will also learn valuable ingredient skills, including how to correctly and humanely dispatch crustaceans before preparing and cooking them.

Knife skills will also be a key focus as Riel road-tests the new Victorinox Chef’s Knife Roll Starter Set, which we will feature on our social media in the coming days.

Perhaps most importantly, Merrick has asked Riel to bring a notebook with him so he can record recipes, techniques, tips and the knowledge passed from chef to young chef throughout the four days.

Merrick Webber said: “It’s really important that we give young people who genuinely want to become chefs the opportunity to experience a professional kitchen properly. I want Riel to absorb as much as he can while he’s here – from preparation and organisation to ingredients, techniques and understanding how the whole kitchen works. I’ve told him to bring a notebook because there’s so much knowledge that gets passed from chef to chef, and learning to listen, watch and write things down is a great habit to develop early.”

Riel said: “I’m really excited to work with Merrick and learn as much as I can. Every chef and kitchen I’ve worked with so far has taught me something different. I’ll definitely have my notebook with me! I’m looking forward to learning the menu, getting involved in the kitchen and then starting catering at college and Food Tech at school. Becoming a chef is what I want to do.”

Nurturing the Next Generation

At The Chefs’ Forum, we know just how important it is for young people considering a career in hospitality to spend meaningful time alongside professional chefs.

Experiences such as this,  allow aspiring chefs, like Riel, to see the realities of a working kitchen, develop practical skills and, crucially, learn from experienced professionals willing to pass their knowledge on to the next generation.

A huge thank you to Merrick Webber for nurturing young talent and giving Riel such a fantastic opportunity at this important stage in his development.

With catering college, Food Technology and plenty more professional kitchen experience ahead, this is just the beginning of Riel’s journey.

We’ll keep you posted on how he gets on – watch this space!