Top Chef Inspires St John’s Students
On 4th June, over 100 Year 10 GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition students were lucky to have a visit from top chef Tom Scade. Tom is the Executive Chef of the The Vineyard, Newbury, which is a 3AA Rosette Restaurant.
Career:
Tom is keen to encourage and inspire future chefs and talked about his career progression; from his apprenticeship training at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, which currently offers apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities to up-and-coming chefs; to working as Senior Sous Chef at the Ritz Michelin star restaurant, where he cooked for Queen Elizabeth II!
He has worked in many locations across the world, including USA, France, Latvia and Sweden. He won the UK final of the prestigious Le Taittinger Prix Culinaire in 2018, before coming third in the world finals later that year.
Kitchen:
Tom provided students with an insight into the different sections and positions within a kitchen; how food is sourced as sustainably and locally as possible, known as food provenance; and discussed the costings that need to be considered when pricing and preparing a dish.
Tom also demonstrated the plating up of two dishes with similar ingredients (Berkshire trout, pickled cucumber and horseradish). He answered any questions the students had and discussed with them the importance of preparation and presentation. Students were also treated to taster pots of the dishes, which went down well. Some students had never tried these ingredients before and were surprised that they actually liked them. A few students even asked for more – the sign of good food!
Advice:
Tom said that he “enjoys the thrill of the kitchen and making people happy” and that he “was now in a position to inspire the next generation.” He gave the Food Preparation and Nutrition students the following advice for their exams next year, which involves the cooking of 3 courses within 3 hours:
“Give thought to your dishes, work with 3 or 4 flavours that go well together and don’t be too extravagant. Write down your ideas and practice them, and don’t be afraid to rethink them if they don’t quite work. Don’t forget to give yourself time to prepare your ingredients and to plate up. Presentation is important.”
Miss Hues said “We’re incredibly thankful for Tom’s support. It was brilliant to see how captivated the students were throughout the talk and demonstration. As the students begin their mock NEA 2 this term, I know the presentation techniques will be very useful for students when presenting their dishes”.
Whilst Riya said that “I found the session interesting, and it taught me better ways to present my food”
We are also pleased to announce that one of our current Year 11 students, James Rushton, has secured an apprenticeship at The Vineyard under Tom’s guidance, training with Westminster Kingsway College. Well done James!
We would like to offer our sincere thanks to Tom for giving up his time to visit the students. You have allowed some to try food they would not have dreamed of trying and provided them with inspiration for their future exams and careers. Thank you, Tom!
Find more information about The Vineyard and apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts.