Four renowned Michelin-starred chefs recently gathered at the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland, to demonstrate their skills and share their knowledge with more than 200 culinary students and apprentices. Tuesday’s seafood cooking master class brought together students from several colleges across Scotland, including Dundee and Angus Colleges, UHI Perth, Dumfries and Galloway, and UHI North Highland.
Demonstration by Michelin-starred chefs
The event began with a warm welcome from Martin Hollis, Executive Chef at The Old Course, and George McIvor, Chairman of Master Chefs of Great Britain. During the first session, Stephen Doherty, a three-star chef at La Gavroche in London, and Derek Johnstone, a chef at Rusacks at the age of 18, demonstrated their culinary skills to the students.
The second master class was conducted by Russell Plowman, senior sous chef at Andrew Fairlie, and 17-year-old chef Connor Cameron, who prepared a turbot with mussels and local vegetables. Russell Plowman emphasized that he enjoys participating in events like this to train the next generation of chefs, and it also helps him connect with future employees. Connor, who was initially nervous, expressed his gratitude for working with such experienced chefs and for the fact that this experience helped him to improve his skills significantly.
After a street food style lunch, UNALOME Glasgow’s Chef de Cuisine Graham Chivers gave the final demonstration of the day. The students also had the opportunity to network with representatives of St. Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, Seafood from Scotland, The Oysterman Events and others.
Julia Burns, one of the participants who is studying professional culinary at Perth College UHI, shared her surprise at the monkfish cooking demonstration by Stephen and Derek, while Siobhan Campbell praised the learning opportunity and the chance to learn new recipes and techniques. Liam Taylor emphasized the importance of meeting producers and business representatives, as well as learning from experienced chefs first-hand.
The seafood cooking master class provided a unique opportunity for culinary students to learn from the world’s best chefs and to communicate with industry representatives. This is a testament to the culinary industry’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent, inspiring and educating them, and giving them the opportunity to learn from the most renowned chefs.
