Exose Grant Hosts Dinner Kickstarting £32million Bradford College Redevelopment

Over 40 VIP guests from Bradford and beyond attended a launch dinner at Bradford College’s Grove Restaurant last night.

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Hosted by former MasterChef finalist, Exose Grant, the event showed guests the exciting plans in place set to transform Bradford College.

In attendance was Lorraine O’Donnell (CEO of Bradford Council) and Naz Shah (Bradford West MP) as well as representatives from Couch Perry Wilkes, Bond Bryan Architects and JCT600 among others.

Representatives from Tilbury Douglas, the firm awarded the contract to provide all mechanical and electrical design and build services for Bradford College’s Garden Mills refurbishment project, were present. The project will use £5.8m funding from The Office for Students Higher Education Capital Fund, alongside a £1.1m College contribution, to transform the derelict building into a state-of-the-art STEM training and education facility. Garden Mills will benefit higher education students studying digital, science and allied health subjects.  

The developments are being launched under the new campaign slogan ‘Rethink, reshape, rework and rebuild’. Plans and drawings for five schemes were shared by Pam Sheldon, Head of Projects at Bradford College, who said: “This is an exciting time for the College as several of our large capital projects are fully underway. We will be working very closely with our expert contractors over the coming months to ensure we optimise the social value of this work in terms of jobs and investment in the region.” 
 
Three extensive Bradford College construction projects will soon take shape: new £3.5m vocational T Level facilities, a £6.9m refurbishment of the derelict Garden Mills, and the construction of a new £17m Future Technologies Centre on Thornton Road.

College partners, Bond Bryan Architects, joined us for the evening after opening their new academy at Trinity Green Campus earlier this year. A purpose-built T Level classroom allows the team to guest lecture and deliver workshops while also offering site visits and mentoring for construction and engineering students.

Alongside a £1.2m college-funded refurbishment of the existing ATC building and new substation installation, these new facilities form part of the ambitious estates strategy – to nurture careers in vital sectors supporting regional economic growth.

In the Heat of the Kitchen

Meanwhile in the Grove training kitchens, Exose Grant (Private Chef and Consultant) treated guests to a gourmet three course menu prepared and delivered with Level 3 Catering and Hospitality students.

At the age of 18, Exose started his first professional chef job at James Martin in Manchester and went on to compete in Masterchef: The Professionals 2019 at the age of just 22. Then, in early 2022 at the age of 24, Exose took over the kitchen at BLVD Manchester, creating a variety of new Pan-Asian Style menus. Exose’s love for learning and competition saw him enter Bake-Off in 2019.  

The menu for the evening comprised of:

Wye Valley Asparagus, Slow Cooked Egg, Toasted Sourdough, Crispy Parma Ham, Onion & Thyme Puree, Beer Pickled Onions and Beer Pickle Gel

Chives and Tandoori Spiced Lamb Rump, Sweet Potato Fondant, Sweet Potato Puree, Spinach Yoghurt, Sauteed Spinach, Lamb Sauce, Garlic & Coriander Flatbread and Mint Yoghurt

Vanilla Cheesecake, Strawberry Compote, Basil Syrup and Crumble

The dinner was followed by a question-and-answer session with Exose, as guests departed. Service throughout the evening was provided by Level 2 Catering and Hospitality Students, under the watchful eyes of Richard Barker.

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Read more about our ‘Rethink, reshape, rework and rebuild’ campaign.