Fifteen Cornwall
F ive years ago, Jamie Oliver took a group of young trainees into his London kitchen and started the Fifteen Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping disadvantaged young people by teaching them how to cook in a top class restaurant. It’s a concept that has inspired a new charity in Cornwall which is also changing young people’s lives. Fifteen Cornwall is a seaside restaurant with a remarkable apprenticeship programme that gives local teenagers the chance to get 18 months of training in the kitchen of a fine restaurant. Besides learning how to make everything from sauces to pastries, the apprentices gain valuable experience that sets them up with great careers. Only in its second year, Fifteen Cornwall has already turned out master chefs who have gone on to work in fine restaurants at home and abroad.
The apprentice
etc. caught up with Ben Lindsay, who at 17 is the youngest apprentice on this year’s course. He talks us through a typical day as an apprentice, which usually starts around 8.15am. ‘You go to your station and see what needs doing to get ready for the lunchtime service,’ says Ben. ‘There are six different stations in the kitchen – pasta, pastry, grill, sauce, starters and a prep station – and you spend three weeks in each station before rotating to another.’ It’s the beginning of a long day – lunch runs from about 12-4pm and then it’s time to get ready for dinner, which can end as late as 10.30pm.
‘It’s a working kitchen and runs just as any other quality restaurant would run,’ says Karl Jones, Fifteen Cornwall’s Training and Development Chef. ‘The apprentices work their way through the kitchen on different stations, which gives them the whole insight into the kitchen.’ To etc., who still burns toast, this sounds like a challenging task, especially for someone who’s still learning. Just think about it – Fifteen Cornwall seats 100 diners. Now, picture all of those people ordering different meals at different times. If that doesn’t sound tricky enough, remember that half of those people will add on special requests like sauce on the side or hold the parsley. ‘One of the hardest parts is making sure everything goes out perfect and on time,’ admits Ben. ‘You know, just getting it done.’ Of course, the best part of any challenge is overcoming it, and Fifteen Cornwall apprentices do this every time they deliver a good dish on time – which happens most times. ‘The best part of my apprenticeship is learning, taking it all in,’ says Ben. ‘And it’s a really good atmosphere, too.’
So what does Fifteen Cornwall look for in its apprentices? ‘With this type of course, they need to be out of education and out of employment,’ says Karl. ‘When they come to us, we look for a spark, an interest in catering, because it’s quite a demanding course.’ Before joining Fifteen Cornwall, Ben had left school and spent some time working in a restaurant on the beach. And he definitely had the spark. ‘I was interested in cooking and wanted to make it happen, make a career out of it,’ says Ben. He found out about the opportunity with Fifteen Cornwall through his local Job Centre and got through to an interview, which included a taste test. When etc. asks what he cooked for the taste test, Ben explains that he didn’t cook anything – the taste test involved him eating the restaurant’s food. ‘It was good!’ he laughs. (We wish all job interviews were that tasty.) After passing that, he went to a weekend ‘boot camp’ and then off to college for a three-month course to get his NVQ Level 1.
The will to succeed
While all of Fifteen Cornwall’s apprentices share the same spark for cooking, they come from all sorts of backgrounds – some of which are quite surprising. ‘On this current course, we’ve got a guy who came via the prison service,’ says Karl. ‘So when you talk about someone who’s surprised us, there’s a guy like that on the course and he’s doing so well. He just needed an opportunity, basically, and Fifteen Cornwall is the kind of course that can do that.’ It just goes to show how a real interest in something and proper training can change someone’s life.
At the end of the course, Fifteen Cornwall secures work placements lasting four weeks for every apprentice, with the hope that the employers will like what they see and offer fulltime jobs. ‘Our experience shows that it works,’ says Karl. In fact, most employers are keen to take on the skilled apprentices. One got hired by celebrity chef Rick Stein, and two other apprentices recently went over to the States, where they got jobs in East Hampton, an area just outside of New York City that is famous for its restaurants. Many apprentices also choose to stay close to home in Cornwall. ‘We’ve got quite a few quality restaurants down here that we’ve got good links with,’ says Karl. ‘So we’ve managed to put them in locally-based employment that still offers the quality we’re after for them.’
etc. sees bright things in Ben’s future and so we ask about his career goals. ‘I’ll hopefully open my own restaurant,’ he answers, instantly. ‘I’d serve a bit of everything: nice French food and nice Italian, everything.’ And what advice would he give to anyone interested in doing an apprenticeship in catering? ‘Just do it,’ Ben says. ‘Then listen and work hard.’ Which is exactly what Ben and his fellow Fifteen Cornwall apprentices are doing every day. ‘We’re into our second year and we’re starting to see results – the feedback we get from employers is really positive,’ says Karl. ‘It’s working – and that’s the most important thing.’ Sounds like we can expect a whole new generation of Jamie Olivers.
Find out more:
Fifteen Cornwall’s official website - www.fifteencornwall.co.uk
The Sector Skills Council for Hospitality has information on apprenticeships - www.people1st.co.uk
Comments
(All comments will need to be approved before they will be shown on this page)
