Hospitality & Catering Case Study

Ashley-Darrah Pienaar

Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Professional Cookery

“Working in a kitchen is very fast paced; you need to learn fast, work quickly and most importantly work as part of one big team. The course has definitely prepared us for working in the industry. I’ve learnt lots of new technical skills, as well as other top tips from my tutors who have worked in professional kitchens for years. The tutors here are so nice and are always making sure you cook to the best of your ability.

As well as being able to cook for paying customers in the college’s Taste restaurant, we also have the opportunity to compete for the Young Chef of the Year award. It’s a big competition where three of us from college prepare and cook our own two-course meal for a panel of judges from top local restaurants and food outlets. It’s a huge competition so I was really nervous at first but I just had to keep telling myself to keep calm and just run with it and have fun, which is what I did.

For my dish I took inspiration from other chefs on Instagram and created a main of roast duck with an assortment of fruit and vegetables.”

Ashley was later announced as the winner of the Young Chef of the Year at Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards. Speaking of her win she said: “I’m actually speechless to be crowned winner of the Young Chef of the Year. I found the whole experience amazing and my plans are now just to keep working hard and keep pushing on.”

Find out more about our Hospitality and Catering courses here.