Tag: restaurant

Westminster Kingsway College’s award-winning School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts achieved another milestone when it was awarded accredited status by the Craft Guild of Chefs this month.

The Craft Guild of Chefs is the leading chef association in the UK. It plays a key role in championing the skills and talents of the people in the foodservice and hospitality sector and, as a part of this, it runs a prestigious accreditation scheme which universities and colleges that teach culinary skills can apply to join.

To be accredited, universities and colleges must meet stringent criteria set by the Craft Guild of Chefs, demonstrating that the faculty offers a high calibre of teaching. An independent assessor also inspects the college to ensure it meets the high standards required.

As Curriculum Manager Miranda Quantrill explained: “We are absolutely delighted that the college’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts provision has been accredited by the Craft Guild of Chefs. This is great news and it’s a massive endorsement of the work that we do here. A big thank you to all the staff and the students who made this possible.”

The Craft Guild’s independent assessor visited the college in early November and spoke to staff including Miranda and Restaurant Manager Marc Whitley as well as a number of our students.

He was glowing in his praise of both the quality of teaching and the attitude of the students, saying in his report: “It is clear that everyone excepts nothing but the best from each other and both staff and students understand that ethos, respect it and are more than happy to ensure the high standards requested are maintained by everyone.”

As part of his inspection, the assessor also visited the Escoffier Room, the college’s fine dining restaurant, where students cook meals for, and serve, members of the public, and was served a meal by students.

He also spoke to a couple of first year students, both of whom talked with excitement about the course and their desires to progress through the industry and what they wanted for their future. Both students spoke extremely highly of the course the tutors and the facilities they had the good fortune to be taught within.

The assessor concluded his report saying: “Westminster Kingsway College benefit from a committed and professional team of hospitality lecturers. The standards set by the faculty team is reflected in the appearance and enthusiasm shown by the students. It is clear that many students will have successful careers and the continued relationships with industry will support this objective.”

Terry Tinton, Assistant Principal Hospitality, Foundation Studies and Commercial, said: “We are over the moon that the Craft Guild of Chefs has awarded Westminster Kingsway College accredited status.

“This award has been well-earned and recognises the decades of skill and experience that has gone into the quality of our culinary teaching, as well as the way that we structure our courses to make them as industry-relevant as possible.

“It’s why students from all over the south-east of England come to us, and why so many of them graduate from here into great jobs in some of the country’s top restaurants and hotels.”

Do you want to be a chef or work in hospitality? Learn from the best at WestKing. Find out more about our Hospitality and Culinary Arts courses here and apprenticeship training here.

A Michelin-star chef and restaurant owner has heaped praise on Westminster Kingsway College after his teenage daughter took a course at the college’s Young Chefs’ Academy.

Adam Byatt, who owns Trinity restaurant in Clapham, south London, gave his overwhelming support to the academy, which runs cookery courses for 13 to 16-year-olds throughout the year.

In an email yo the college, Adam said: “I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for the brilliant Young Chefs’ Academy. My daughter Rosie has just completed and thoroughly enjoyed the course, which has also played a huge part in boosting her confidence.  

“It is incredibly encouraging to see so many young people keen to be a part of our industry. Thanks to you all for the great work you do.”

Adam and Rosie recently appeared in an article for The Observer on The Guardian website called Chips off the old block: the chefs teaching their kids to cook, where they shared their passion for cooking.

The article told how Adam, 47, told how he and Rosie, 13, regularly cook together with his wife and son Jack on Sundays, and Rosie also often cooks in the week and helps out at the restaurant.

Rosie’s highlight of the course was filleting a whole plaice, but she is yet to decide on her future and whether she will follow her dad into a career in the culinary sector.

On Rosie’s culinary skills, Adam told The Guardian: “She really opens up. Cooking can do that for people. It does for me. It’s a happy, comfortable place for Rosie. That’s why we’ve encouraged it, more than, ‘Go take the reins of the business.’”

WestKing’s Young Chefs’ Academy and Young Bakers’ Academy run courses throughout the year which are taught by our team of professional chef lecturers at the college’s Victoria Centre.

The courses have been the starting point for many of the college’s successful students who have progressed on to Professional Chef Diplomas and apprenticeships.

Are you aged 13-16 and want to find out more about cooking and baking? Maybe you’d like to be a chef or baker when you leave school? Find out more about the Young Chefs’ Academy and Young Bakers’ Academy here.