Posted: 14/05/15
Graduating students to serve-up culinary seventh heaven
Aspiring chefs and hospitality professionals from West Nottinghamshire College are set to showcase their culinary talents to eager customers.
Students (from left) Lathaniel, Lucy, Michaela and Lewis are preparing to impress diners with a culinary treat
Students Lewis Kuciers, Michaela Atherton, Lucy Brettle and Lathaniel Marshall are busy planning their graduation evening which will mark the end of their studies.
They are preparing a seven-course spectacular for 60 diners including friends and family at the sell-out event next Friday evening (22 May) at the college’s fine-dining restaurant, Refined.
Lewis, 18, and Michaela, 22, who have studied the NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Professional Cookery, have created a mouth-watering menu consisting of a gazpacho jelly palate-cleanser, an asparagus, poached egg and parmesan amuse-bouche, and choice of three starters including braised pig cheek.
These are followed by dill and lemon crouton bisque, a choice of four main courses including chicken ballotine and curried monkfish, an Eton mess pre-dessert, rounded off with a choice of three puddings including passion fruit soufflé.
Lewis, from Fiskerton, said: “The menu is a reflection of everything we’ve learnt. It’s taken several weeks to create and we’ve had to cost-up all the ingredients too. To finally see our dishes going out will make all the hard work worthwhile.”
Service will be directed by Lucy, 18, and Lathaniel, 20, who will lead a team of front-of-house staff. The duo – graduating from the NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership – are also laying on a Moulin Rouge theme for the evening.
Lucy, from Farnsfield, said: “We’ve been responsible for planning the theme, choosing the décor and making sure every single aspect of service is covered. It will really show how far we’ve come.”
The foursome already boast much professional experience, having worked evening shifts in Refined as part of their courses, which are specially-designed to prepare students for employment.
They have also combined their studies with part-time jobs, with Michaela working in the kitchens of the Carnarvon Country Pub and Restaurant, Teversal, and Lewis doing the same at the Black Bull Bar and Bistro, Blidworth.
Meanwhile, Lucy performs a front-of-house role at the Copper Beech pub, Bilsthorpe, while Lathaniel works as a supervisor at a cyber café in Ollerton.
Lewis’s dream is to work in a top restaurant in London or Oxford. His appetite was whetted by a recent work experience stint at celebrity chef Raymond Blanc's two Michelin star restaurant and hotel, Belmond Le Manoir, in Oxfordshire.
Michaela’s long-term goal is to work in a fine-dining restaurant in Spain, where she lived from the ages of ten to 19. It was there she got a taste of professional cookery – spending two years as a chef before moving back to her hometown to study her college course.
“It was my first full-time job and I fell in love with the restaurant business,” said Michaela.
“But I also felt it was important to get a qualification behind me. I’d heard how good this course is in preparing you for industry, and studying here has completely justified my decision.
“I’d love to put into practice everything I’ve learned about fine-dining by working in a fantastic restaurant back in Spain.”
Lathaniel is looking to secure an apprenticeship as a sommelier in a restaurant or tapas bar, saying: “I’m fascinated by the design of wine and I’m keen to learn more about the different grape varieties and growing regions.”
Lucy, meanwhile, has ambitions of working in the events industry, adding: “I like the idea of being in a busy, large-scale environment, supporting anything from weddings to corporate away days.”
