Former HSDC student and MasterChef semi-finalist, Tom Peters, returned to college last month to host a charity dinner in aid of Brathay Trust, raising over £7,500 in total.
After Leaving HSDC seven years ago, Tom stayed local at the Langstone Hotel for two years before deciding to move to London for work. He landed a position at Roux at Parliament Square, thanks to support from his friend Sean Williams under head chef Steve Groves – and less than three and a half years later, Tom progressed from Commis Chef to Senior Sous Chef.
Along the way, Tom took on new challenges including ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ in 2017, where he made it to the semi-finals. Most recently, Tom has been working at the 3 Michelin Starred restaurant ‘Maaemo’ in Oslo, Norway.
Back in November 2018, Tom and Steve came to HSDC to work with the Catering and Hospitality students. Whilst working together, they formed the idea to host a charity dinner in aid of the Brathay Trust – a charity close to Tom’s heart.
Tom was keen to bring a team of influencers from his life together for the dinner – people who have helped to shape his career and who inspired him to do great things. The aim of the event was to create great food and help inspire the next generation of chefs, all whilst raising money for the charity.
The team had close links to HSDC too, with Ian Baillie, Level 3 Culinary Academy Course Manager, who taught Tom when he was at the College in 2009 – as well as Sean Williams, Chef Director, Sean in the Woods – and Alex McMillan, Assistant General Manager, for a suburban cocktail and craft beer company in London, both fellow students from HSDC who studied alongside Tom.
Other members of the team included Duncan Wilson, Group Executive Chef, Fullers – who gave Tom his first job at The Langstone Hotel and taught him how to be a ‘proper’ chef – Steve Groves, Head Chef at Roux at Parliament Square, who gave Tom the confidence to try new things and have faith in his abilities. Tom Moody, Head Chef, The Minster Mill Hotel – who competed alongside Tom in MasterChef and Toms partner, Tuva Villa, Chef at Maaemo and the youngest certified sommelier in all of Europe.
The charity, Brathay Trust, work with children and young people, inspiring them to engage positively in their communities to improve their life chances. Tom Peters has supported the charity ever since his friend and colleague, Matt Campbell, passed away after running the London Marathon in support of Brathay. The charity dinner at HSDC raised an incredible £7,500 to support their efforts.
Mike Gaston, Principal and CEO of HSDC, said: “We were delighted to host a prestigious evening with six outstanding chefs creating a charity dinner to delight our guests. I believe everyone could see the incredible benefits the team of chefs brought to the table and it was wonderful to see they were all so willing to support the idea, and in partnership with the College, raise a lot of money for Brathay Trust.”
He added: “In addition, the experience for our students working with such gastronomical stars was fabulous. The evening was such a tremendous success and I would like to thank all involved and in particular Iain Baillie at HSDC and chef Tom Peters for making this idea a reality.”
Tom Peters, former HSDC student and organiser of the event, said: “This dinner is the first time some of these amazing people have met each other. I really enjoyed having some fun, creating some great food and networking. This industry is amazing, the students are learning incredible skills and if they are passionate enough, cooking is the best job in the world. It’s hard work but rewarding.”