Gloucestershire College Staged Two Hospitality Industry Taster Days for Local Schools in Association with The Chefs’ Forum Academy

After an extremely successful Hospitality Industry Taster Day held at the Forest of Dean Campus last February, the college repeated the event this year, this time at both Cheltenham and the new, state-of-the-art Forest of Dean Campus in Cinderford.

The Cheltenham event took place last week on 27 February and the Forest of Dean event on 6 March. The dual site approach was designed to ensure that feeder schools across both campuses had a chance to attend the experiential line-up of demos and all things food!

GCSE students enjoyed a two-hour showcase of culinary expertise, canapés, and butchery at both events, which were fully booked!

Martyn Watkins of St David’s Hotel (Cardiff) and Andy Chan and Tom Everard-Fairburn of Thornbury Castle (Bristol) showcased some of their signature dishes, sweet and savoury.

To top it off, the students were given a ‘round-the-world tour’ of herbs and spices by Sam Guarino of seasoning company Santa Maria UK.

The events aimed to showcase how rewarding and exciting a career in the sector can be, and inspire young chefs and industry stars of the future.

The young guests were welcomed with non-alcoholic ‘mocktails’ and canapés created and served by Gloucestershire College hospitality students. There were also a number of canapés on offer, prepared by Gloucestershire College catering students alongside professional chefs from The Chefs’ Forum.

At both events, year 8, 9, 10 and 11 students from the local schools were given the opportunity to speak to representatives from The Chefs’ Forum and GC catering and hospitality lecturers about careers in the industry, learning at Gloucestershire College’s Cheltenham and Forest of Dean campuses.

Chefs’ Forum Founder, Catherine Farinha, stated: “It was a real honour to be asked to hold this event at the college again this year, even more so as we mirrored the event across two campuses. If a handful of students who attend the event are inspired to study catering and hospitality as a result of the fantastic industry experts on show, then our work is done. We are collectively showcasing how fantastic a career in the industry can be!”

Jo O’Connell, Head of School for Hospitality and Catering, said:“Last year’s event was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and it was fantastic to see so many young faces inspired to consider careers in catering and hospitality, with demonstrations by talented local chefs and industry experts – we were delighted to repeat this successful event across both campuses and look forward to welcoming students from the feeder schools who attended onto hospitality and catering courses this September – This is set to be an annual event!”