Designed to enable students to “progress to more senior positions within (the company),” the Chef Academy launched in 2003 and this year saw 34 people successfully complete the course.
Proving enrolees the chance to secure qualifications such as NVQ 2, NVQ 3 and a BSC in culinary arts, each course offers a variety of opportunities such as visiting parts of the supply chain and learning financial and leadership skills.
John Campbell, who mentored five students through the Food EQ programme, said: “Our current Food EQ team are an amazing group of people – what they have produced and how they have progressed is absolutely sensational.”
Other guests at the ceremony included Adam Leyland-Simpson and James Shaw, HIT MasterChef winner and finalist respectively, as well as guest speaker John Williams, executive chef at The Ritz.
Williams commented: “The Chef Academy is a pure reflection of what this industry is all about - encouraging young people to join the industry and stay in the industry by nurturing them and developing them through training and ensuring that we offer them the best career opportunities.
“The Chef Academy is proof that education and training is key to any successful business.”
Alastair Storey, company chairman, added: “There has been an incredible spirit among the graduates tonight – the graduate chefs all represent the spirit of BaxterStorey and I truly appreciate them for that.
“It’s so important that we care about our business, our colleagues, our customers, our clients, our supply chain, everybody who comes in contact with us.
“A business grows through pursuing excellence and through taking care of others. A way to push business forward is to strive, to push yourself and to take care of others along the way.
“The chef academy for 15 years now has been an absolute exemplar of what is good about this business and the chef graduates are great ambassadors for the business.”