Academy Nathan Outlaw trainees take centre stage at festival

Some of the county’s top trainee chefs have been praised for their efforts in helping at one of the region’s most popular food extravaganzas.
Students Alice Eade, Sikira Blight-Bevan, Katie Ellacott, and Ashley Gilder, who are part of Academy Nathan Outlaw at Cornwall College, were on stage assisting the popular food demos at the annual Padstow Christmas Festival.
They all got a tempting taste of the life of a celebrity chef and said the experience had been invaluable.
Trainee hospitality and catering student Alice said that the experience gave her real “insight” and “confidence” to work in the industry.
“One of the highlights of the weekend was opportunity to help cook a dish called ‘Rock Pool’ with Chef Jude Kereama, it was such a challenge and the dish had everything you would find in a rock pool such as crab, clams, mussels and sea vegetables”
“I’ve always gone to the Padstow Festival but as a spectator, so to be involved with it this year was brilliant, I’ve come back to college inspired and focused on my training to work in hospitality” she added.
In its 10th year, the festival has grown dramatically and attracts thousands of visitors and some of the best chefs and food experts in the country.
Chef Lecturer Steve Rudd organised this opportunity for the students and he explained how for him supporting the students at this event was like “coming home”.
“I worked in some of the top Padstow restaurants before becoming a lecturer for Cornwall College, so this event is very special for me,” he explained.
“But this opportunity was about getting students involved with the best chefs in the country for an amazing experience. Many would have buckled under the pressure of being onstage in front of 200 spectators, but they all excelled!” 
Paul Ainsworth even offered one of the students work experience at his Michelin-starred restaurant the Number 6 in Padstow. 
Legendary Padstow Chef, Adrian Oliver, said what a “credit to the college” the students were and that he is “look forward to working with them again hopefully in the near future”.
Grant Mather, Head of Hospitality and Tourism at Cornwall College explained what a “fantastic opportunity” this had been for the students and that it was “amazing to see their joy at working with all the chefs that gathered at this brilliant event”.
Grant also gave special thanks to Steve for arranging this experience for the students and for supporting them during the four day festival.
In 2012, Cornwall College and renowned three time Michelin-star winning chef Nathan created Academy Nathan Outlaw. 
General Manager for Nathan Outlaw Restaurants, Ian Dodgson said how “great” it was to see the Academy students taking part in the festival; 
“The opportunity to rub shoulders with top chefs and learn from already established industry talent is what the Academy is all about. The additional skills that the students acquire, whilst being involved with the festival, are a huge bonus on top of their education.
“For a lot of the students, it’s about opening their eyes to what a great future they could have ahead of them. We’ve got some fantastic talent on the way – Keep your eyes peeled for Cornwall’s next top chef!” he continued. 
Now in its fifth year, this highly successful Academy has created a wealth of talented chefs such as Tom Brown who was head chef at The Capital Hotel. Academy Nathan Outlaw benefits students by giving them confidence, expert advice and industry-leading mentoring. 
For more information on the range of Catering & Hospitality courses available across The Cornwall College Group visit www.cornwall.ac.uk or call 0330 123 2523.