Making the Most of STEM

The Chefs’ Forum put on a special 3 course menu at Bradford College on the 22nd February for their Women in STEM dinner. The Chefs’ Forum organised Manchester-based chef Caroline Martins to create the menu at The Grove Restaurant at Bradford College to celebrate women working in STEM fields, in both education and industry.

The free event was dedicated to celebrating and empowering women in the fields of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – and The Chefs’ Forum played an important part in making the evening special.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “Our international network of chefs and suppliers can be put to very good use and occasionally we step outside the boundaries of student education and support great causes such as women in STEM. It was a pleasure for us to get Caroline Martins to represent us. She is such an exciting chef having represented the North West at the 2023 Great British Menu. She has worked in all levels of restaurants and her menu was an inspiration.”

Caroline Martins said: “The evening was a great success and it was a total pleasure to cook for the Women in STEM at Bradford College. I have a science background myself and have a phD in Plasma Physics from The Technological Institute of Aeronautics in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I later decided to train to be a chef because I wanted to follow my passion, but my scientific knowledge and expertise greatly helps me with many elements of my cooking. I am all for supporting successful women in industry. What a fantastic group of inspiring people! I felt really challenged to create something special with the students.”

Zainab Himdan, Head of School for Computing and Ophthalmics at Bradford College welcomed guests and shared her story from engineering into the world of IT and Science, about her journey into her current role and her role to inspire and pave the way for the next generation. She said “The more I was told I couldn’t do something or wasn’t taken seriously, it propelled me even more to pursue my career and expand my knowledge. Females have a place in all these sectors and can make a significant contribution.”

What was on the menu?

Starter: