Havant & South Downs College Hospitality and Catering students learnt from the best of the best on Wednesday, 21 November, when they were visited by two guest chefs.
Head Chef at Roux at Parliament Square, Steve Groves, and his Sous Chef and HSDC alumni, Tom Peters, came to the South Downs Campus restaurant to present an evening of exquisite food for members of the public.
Steve Groves’ finest moment came in 2009 when he was crowned MasterChef: The Professionals Winner. In 2010 he joined Roux at Parliament Square and subsequently became Head Chef in 2013.
Steve made his debut on Saturday Kitchen in 2014. He has appeared at several of the Foodies festivals and took part in the BBC Good Food shows and festivals.
Speaking about the guest chef evening, Steve said: “For me, the level the students are coming out of HSDC is always really high compared to a lot of other colleges. So, for me I thought it was a great opportunity to come down.
“I think going forward it would be great to have more students coming up to work with us in London. It’s great to work with the young guys who want to be inspired.
“Everyone seems to be really embracing it and really throwing themselves into it, it’s exactly what you want. That’s the one thing that has been very apparent about the students that have come from here, they have all been full of enthusiasm and well prepared.
“Tom is a shining example of that, he came to us as a commis chef and has worked his way through the ranks. He’s a testament to the College.”
Former student Tom Peters made it from commis chef to Senior Sous chef in three and a half years, as well as taking on new challenges along the way including ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ last year.
Most recently, Tom has just finished an internship at the Three Michelin starred ‘Maaemo’ in Oslo- Norway. In the new year Tom will be moving to Oslo to join the Team at Maaemo.
Speaking about how his time at HSDC prepared him for his career now, Tom said: “What’s great about this College and the lecturers here, they are all just really passionate about what they do.
“The restaurant facilities here create a really realistic environment and give you an idea of what it’s like in the real world, so it’s not such a big shock when you step into a professional kitchen. That’s why it’s important to come somewhere like here.
“Advice I would give to future students would be to listen to what the lecturers tell you, some of it you might think is boring at the time but it’s really useful foundations for your career. They give you all the tools you need to be a great chef.”
For more information on our Catering and Hospitality courses, click here.