Bradford College welcomes TV chefs to campus for special focus group event

It was a busy day for our Catering & Hospitality Department as we hosted a unique tasting event, in partnership with The Chefs’ Forum and the Aussie Meat Academy (AMA).

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Nine established chefs arrived at The Grove this morning for a day crafting their own dish, assisted by Bradford College students, utilising top quality cuts of meat provided by Aussie Beef & Lamb (AB&L). The full list of culinary magicians, who hold numerous awards and TV appearances between them, looked like this:

• Caroline Martins
• Daniel Rodriguez
• Darren Cooper
• Dave Lythall
• Dirk De Cuyper
• Exose Grant
• Gita Mistry
• Jason Palin
• Luciana Berry

Following a kick-off talk full of insight from an AB&L representative, students were assigned their own chef for the day and it was straight in at the deep end as each group got stuck into cooking up a masterpiece.

Former Masterchef finalist and Executive Chef, Exose Grant, added to Gita Mistry’s sentiment about Bradford College and our learners: “The students can take a lot from what we’re doing, some of which they might not have done before.

“There’s a lot of talented chefs here who have done a lot and there’s lots of knowledge to be gained. I’d encourage the students to ask loads of questions about the industry. Now’s the time to do so as they’re surrounded by so many chefs; they should go for it and grab this sort of opportunity with both hands.

The AMA exists as part of the AB&L brand and acts as ‘a global, trade focused knowledge, education and inspiration program’ which aims ‘to create educated ambassadors of Australian red meat’.

Today’s exciting focus group was just the latest event in their calendar and came as the perfect chance for our students to learn from successful industry names.

Andy Bray, just one of the well-liked lecturers from our Catering & Hospitality provision, had this to say: “This year’s cohort of students never cease to amaze me with their talent and enthusiasm. It really is wonderful to see them all getting involved with the cooking, talking to the guest chefs and learning new culinary techniques.

Following the extensive food preparation process and plating up, more VIP visitors joined us to offer their verbal and written feedback to both AB&L and everyone else involved – this included the Lord Mayor of Bradford and members of the team from MyLahore.

Our Catering & Hospitality Department is a prime example of the College’s continued efforts to not just teach students but also provide real-life opportunities in preparation for their desired industries. To explore the range of courses on offer with us within this area, view our Catering & Hospitality course listings.

Alternatively, you can read more about our ongoing partnership with The Chefs’ Forum.