Part of the Etc.
Have TV programmes like Masterchef and the The Great British Bake Off inspired you to consider a career in the kitchen?
Stockton Riverside College has all of the ingredients you need to help turn your ambition into a reality.
It certainly proved the right place to be for James Platt. Studying Level 2 Professional Cookery at the college secured him work in the kitchens at the prestigious Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.
There he also got the chance to gain valuable work experience at the two Michelin star Andrew Fairlie restaurant.
“It was an amazing and crazy experience, but I loved it,” said James, who after deciding to gain further qualifications, has now returned to Stockton Riverside College to work towards his Level 3.
Hoping to eventually move into teaching, he said: “I knew that I would need to gain the qualifications to match my experience. I didn’t think twice about choosing to come back to Stockton Riverside College.”
Deciding to pursue a career in catering after finding he enjoyed the subject at school, James said the hands-on experience he gained in the college’s working kitchen gave him the skills he needed to find work at the Lotus Lounge in Yarm, before a work placement at the Gleneagles Hotel led to a job offer.
Moving to Scotland at 18 was a big move, but one that James says, along with his time at the college, helped to set the standard of his work.
Starting work as a pastry commis chef, he said: “Gleneagles is one of the best hotels in the world. It showed me that everything you do in any kitchen is about discipline. Knowing that if something is not right that it is going to be brought right back to you quickly teaches you not to make mistakes.”
Plus a four-week stint at the Andrew Fairlie restaurant helped James to raise the bar even further.
“That is fine dining on a whole different level,” said the 22-year-old from Middlesbrough. “The standard is so high, it is a silent kitchen which means you only speak when the head chef speaks to your and everything is measured with a ruler.”
Taking all that he could from the experience, James said: “Those opportunities don’t come around very often so you have to make the most of every minute.”
Ready to return home to the North-east, James brought all of that experience back to Teesside, working as a demi chef de partie and then chef de partie at Muse in Yarm.
Now with his ambitions set on teaching he is enjoying being back in the college environment and sharing all he has learned with his fellow students.
Quick to recommend the course and college to others, James said: “I have gained a lot from my experience. Choosing to study professional cookery has opened up a lot of opportunities to me.
“You just have to be prepared to apply yourself, if you do that anything is possible, but it is down to you as an individual.”
Want to know more about the catering and hospitality courses available at Stockton Riverside College? Visit www.stockton.ac.uk/courses/catering/ or call the information team on 01642 865566.
Stockton Riverside College has all of the ingredients you need to help turn your ambition into a reality.
It certainly proved the right place to be for James Platt. Studying Level 2 Professional Cookery at the college secured him work in the kitchens at the prestigious Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.There he also got the chance to gain valuable work experience at the two Michelin star Andrew Fairlie restaurant.
“It was an amazing and crazy experience, but I loved it,” said James, who after deciding to gain further qualifications, has now returned to Stockton Riverside College to work towards his Level 3.
Hoping to eventually move into teaching, he said: “I knew that I would need to gain the qualifications to match my experience. I didn’t think twice about choosing to come back to Stockton Riverside College.”
Deciding to pursue a career in catering after finding he enjoyed the subject at school, James said the hands-on experience he gained in the college’s working kitchen gave him the skills he needed to find work at the Lotus Lounge in Yarm, before a work placement at the Gleneagles Hotel led to a job offer.
Moving to Scotland at 18 was a big move, but one that James says, along with his time at the college, helped to set the standard of his work.
Starting work as a pastry commis chef, he said: “Gleneagles is one of the best hotels in the world. It showed me that everything you do in any kitchen is about discipline. Knowing that if something is not right that it is going to be brought right back to you quickly teaches you not to make mistakes.”
Plus a four-week stint at the Andrew Fairlie restaurant helped James to raise the bar even further.
“That is fine dining on a whole different level,” said the 22-year-old from Middlesbrough. “The standard is so high, it is a silent kitchen which means you only speak when the head chef speaks to your and everything is measured with a ruler.”
Taking all that he could from the experience, James said: “Those opportunities don’t come around very often so you have to make the most of every minute.”
Ready to return home to the North-east, James brought all of that experience back to Teesside, working as a demi chef de partie and then chef de partie at Muse in Yarm.
Now with his ambitions set on teaching he is enjoying being back in the college environment and sharing all he has learned with his fellow students.
Quick to recommend the course and college to others, James said: “I have gained a lot from my experience. Choosing to study professional cookery has opened up a lot of opportunities to me.
“You just have to be prepared to apply yourself, if you do that anything is possible, but it is down to you as an individual.”
Want to know more about the catering and hospitality courses available at Stockton Riverside College? Visit www.stockton.ac.uk/courses/catering/ or call the information team on 01642 865566.
