Devon’s Hospitality Community Comes Together for The Chefs’ Forum Lunch at Sandy Park

The Chefs’ Forum returned to Devon this week for a fantastic celebration of local hospitality talent, bringing together chefs, suppliers, students and industry professionals at Courtyard by Marriott Exeter Sandy Park.

At the heart of the event was exactly what The Chefs’ Forum is about: industry and education working side by side to inspire and support the next generation of hospitality professionals.

A four-course menu showcased the talent of some of the region’s leading chefs, who worked alongside students from Exeter College, who were involved throughout the event and were an absolute credit to their college.

Alan Holloway, Pastry Lecturer at Exeter College said

“We are incredibly proud of our students and the way they represented Exeter College and themselves throughout. Opportunities such as The Chefs’ Forum Lunch provide learners with invaluable experience of working alongside local, leading chefs, fantastic service teams and engaging directly with employers and suppliers. Seeing them grow in confidence throughout the day and deliver a professional service is exactly what meaningful industry engagement should achieve.”

The lunch opened with Tom Lodge’s Jerusalem artichoke, goat’s curd, bitter leaf and salsa verde, followed by a stunning fish course from Harrison Brockington, Chef Patron of Gather and a 2026 Roux Scholar – monkfish with vadouvan and carrot.

Tom Lodge

“The Chefs’ Forum Lunch is a brilliant opportunity to bring chefs, students and suppliers together in the same room. The Exeter College students were a credit to themselves and their college – they listened, worked hard and showed real enthusiasm. There is some fantastic young talent coming through, and it’s important that the industry gets behind them.”

Harrison echoed his comments saying

“Working alongside the students was one of the highlights of the day. They were engaged, interested and keen to get involved, exactly what you want to see from the next generation. As chefs, we have a responsibility to share our knowledge and provide young people with positive experiences of the industry. Events like this create a connection between college and the professional kitchen.”

Host chef Matt Mason, Executive Chef at Courtyard by Marriott Exeter Sandy Park, served a wonderful main course of slow-braised, boned and rolled pork belly with amaretti crumb, butternut squash and apple.

Matt said

“It was a real pleasure to host The Chefs’ Forum and welcome the Exeter College students into our operation. They approached the day with enthusiasm, professionalism and a genuine willingness to learn. Giving young people the opportunity to work alongside experienced chefs in a live environment is incredibly important for the future of our industry, and they should all be very proud of what they achieved.”

Following a Purbeck sorbet palate cleanser, dessert provided a particularly fitting celebration of student achievement. Amelia Wood, Exeter College student and The Chefs’ Forum Student Pastry Chef of the Year 2026, recreated her competition-winning white chocolate, passion fruit and pistachio choux, served with Purbeck vanilla ice cream.

Amelia concluded

“It was such a proud moment to serve my winning dessert at The Chefs’ Forum Devon Lunch and to cook for so many people from the industry. Winning Student Pastry Chef of the Year has already given me some amazing experiences, and representing Exeter College alongside my fellow students made the day even more special.”

Students at the heart of the day – the stars of the day who received a copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge were Andrei Preda (Front of House) and Mason Edwards (Back of House).

A huge thank you goes to the Exeter College students who supported the professional chefs and helped deliver the event.

Their professionalism, enthusiasm and commitment throughout the day were exemplary. Events like this are designed to give young people meaningful contact with industry, enabling them to work alongside established chefs, meet employers and suppliers and experience the pace and expectations of a professional hospitality event.

They were a genuine credit to Exeter College, their lecturers and themselves.

Our thanks also go to the college team for supporting the students and continuing to work with industry to create these valuable opportunities.

An industry effort

Events of this scale simply aren’t possible without the generosity of the chefs, venues and suppliers who give their time, products and expertise.

Special thanks go to Courtyard by Marriott Exeter Sandy Park, Matt Mason, and his team for hosting us and supporting the students throughout the event.

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and partners: MCS Technical Products, Chef Works, Dole Foodservice, Gather, Pure Ionic Water, Château de Berne, MDCV, S&J Fisheries, Silverhand Estate, Purbeck Ice Cream and RD Johns.

Special thanks go to MDCV for sponsoring the wines, including Château de Berne Rouge 2023 and Château de Berne Inspiration Rosé 2025; to Silverhand Estate for the Silver Reign Brut NV welcome drink; to RD Johns for sponsoring the meat; to S&J Fisheries for the fish; and to Dole Foodservice for providing the fruit, vegetables, dairy and dry goods.

The Chefs’ Forum was founded to bring education and industry together, and this Devon Lunch demonstrated precisely why that relationship matters. Seeing established chefs share a kitchen and an event with hospitality students is what makes these lunches so worthwhile.

A heartfelt thank you to Tom Lodge, Harrison Brockington, Matt Mason and Amelia Wood, to every student and lecturer involved, to our fantastic sponsors and suppliers, and to everyone from Devon’s hospitality community who joined us.

Most importantly, congratulations to the Exeter College students. You represented your college brilliantly, and we hope the experience was another step towards exciting careers in hospitality.

Photography by Carlos Farinha @carlosclickuk