Kerry chef mentors get important boost

CHEFS from all over the county attended a mentorship workshop in Newcastle West, County Limerick, in recent days.

The event supports National Commis Chef Apprenticeship and a number of tourism bodies.

The workshop aims to assist industry mentors who train apprentice commis chefs.

“Some of Kerry’s most skilled and best known chefs have gathered to share their experiences via mentoring to what we hope will be the next generation of great Irish chefs. ” Fáilte Ireland’s Paul Hayden said.

“It’s a formal structured two year education and training programme incorporating periods of off-the job knowledge and skills development in a college or centre with workbased knowledge and skills development in a hotel or restaurant kitchen.

“It allows the participant to gain an internationally recognised qualification in cookery with their employer of choice and gives them the opportunity to progress to senior culinary positions within the culinary and hospitality industry.”

“The Commis Chef Programme is one step on the road to solving the skills shortage our sector,” Restaurant Association Chief Executive Adrian Cummins said.

“We are delighted that Failte Ireland in association with our colleagues in the Irish Hotels Federation have delivered on our commitment to establish a Commis Chef Programme for the sector with the support of the ETBI,” he sai.d

“It’s imperative that restaurants and hospitality businesses feed into the apprenticeship scheme locally and utilise the opportunity to up-skill existing staff who want to pursue a career as a Chef or take on an apprentice chef in their establishment.”

Picture by Pat Moore Joseph Nestor, Kerry ETB; Olliver Sullivan, Fáilte Ireland; TJ O’Connor, IT Tralee; and Will King, Hotel Killarney, at the Failte Ireland Mentoring Workshop in Limerick.