Skyping the Top Chefs for Cook-along

News release

09th September 2013

Cook-along events with top chefs are usually reserved for the likes of Gordon Ramsay over Christmas lunch.

But now, trainee students from Boston College’s Hospitality and Catering Department will be given a private cookery lesson by head chefs from two of Lincoln’s most popular restaurants using the power of the internet, thanks to onlincolnshire.

Five teams of two will connect with head chefs Mark Cheseldine from Reform at The Castle Hotel and Phil Henson from The Electric Bar and Restaurant at DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln via a Skype video call at 4pm on Monday 23rd September.

The chefs will be based in one of Lincoln College’s kitchens and will use the two-way live stream to help the students cook a restaurant standard two-course meal, offering advice on the techniques as they go.

The Lincolnshire County Council-run broadband project is ‘wiring’ the cook-along to help demonstrate the possibilities superfast broadband offers.

Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economic Development at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Good connectivity offers a multitude of possibilities, and pupils are already using it for homework. This kind of interactive set-up could be the next phase in offering students the chance to get hands-on experience and guidance from top industry professionals without needing either party to travel and disrupt their day.

“It’s a great example of how we can use the Internet to enrich lives and learning across the county.”

The menus are being created from Select Lincolnshire produce and will feature a starter and a main course. A judging panel in Boston will score each team and their dishes, with the winning team getting a day of cooking in both of the professional kitchens. Students from Lincoln College will help the chefs prep the food their end.

Phil, who studied cookery at Boston College, said: “I trained in Boston, so I’m looking forward to going back to my roots and helping out the students there. This is a great opportunity for them. Our kitchen is a very busy one which offers top cuisine, so the chance for them to come and get first-hand experience there is a very good prize.”

Mark added: “I’m excited to get involved in such a unique way of helping the next generation of chefs learn more about their craft. They’ll have the chance to learn something technical, but also get tips from people who work every day in a non-stop kitchen, which is invaluable experience for any trainee. Phil and I are busy creating some great dishes for them to cook.”

The cook-along is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Each team will be made up of a level one and a level three student and will cook in the kitchen of the Boston College Lime Restaurant.

Steve Cottrell, Boston College’s Curriculum Leader, Hospitality and Catering Services, said: “We are always very keen to showcase our students’ amazing new-found skills and knowledge. The students will be fresh back from their summer break, many having never worked in a kitchen prior to this new term, so we’re very pleased and excited to have the opportunity to work directly with Mark and Phil, who is himself an ex-Boston College catering student.”

Follow the conversation on twitter using the hashtag #cookdigital.  Media call: Members of the media are invited to attend the cook-along at either Boston College, where the students will receive their instructions, or from Lincoln College where the chefs will be based

Ends

Notes to Editors:

About onlincolnshire

• onlincolnshire is a Lincolnshire County Council-run project which is part-funded by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013.
• Some Internet users in rural Lincolnshire experience speeds of less than 1 Mbps. The UK’s average broadband speed is 7.6 Mbps, according to Ofcom.
• The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf

• The contract with BT concentrates on an intervention area of over 150,000 premises where existing or planned commercial roll outs would not deliver superfast speeds. This will mean that at least 94% of all premises should have access to fibre broadband by April 2016.

About Boston College

• Boston College runs full-time, day release and work-based courses from Level 1 to 3 in NVQ Professional Cookery and VRQ Professional Food and Beverage Service.
• All students study for both front and back of house, from planning events and supervising busy restaurants to preparing and cooking fresh, local and seasonal ingredients.
• The students cater for many high-profile events around the county each year, including the Boston Mayor’s Civic Dinner, Boston Business Awards and Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial Dinner.

About Select Lincolnshire

• Select Lincolnshire is raising the profile of Lincolnshire whether it is promoting and attracting investment into the county, signposting local produce within the county or sending the best of Lincolnshire’s food and drink across the UK
• The Select Lincolnshire for Food project is delivered by the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council. It gives the county's food, drink, tourism, hospitality, agriculture and horticulture sectors a unified brand. www.selectlincolnshire.com.

About Lincoln College

• Based over two sites in Lincolnshire (Lincoln and Gainsborough) and one site in Nottinghamshire (Newark), Lincoln College is the largest educational institution in the county.
• Lincoln College was graded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2011 and has 3,700 full time students and a total of around 9,000 students over our three sites.
• Catering and Hospitality programmes contribute to a list of over 450 vocational qualifications and 50 academic programmes, with other areas of study including, construction, business, A Levels, beauty, social care, the arts and many more. Visit www.lincolncollege.ac.uk to find the comprehensive list of courses.

Cerri Delaney
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
07985 143990
cerri@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @CerriDelaney

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