Students from Reading College and University Centre got a taste for their future careers by doing work experience at Royal Ascot.
Royal Ascot is an annual flat racing meeting, which this year took place from Tuesday 17-Saturday 21 June.
Professional Culinary Arts students studying at Levels 1, 2 and 3 secured work experience with 1711 by Ascot. 1711 by Ascot is a partnership between Royal Ascot and hospitality company Sodexo, delivering outstanding hospitality, fine dining and on-site catering experiences.
The students all worked in the Furlong kitchen, for the Furlong Restaurant, Gallery and Lawn Club at Royal Ascot, preparing food for around 10,000 guests during Royal Ascot. Students prepared a variety of fine-dining experiences for the guests at Royal Ascot, from afternoon tea to lunches.
Kayla Jones, 19, from Wokingham was returning to do work experience at Royal Ascot for her second time. She is studying a Professional Culinary Arts Level 3 Advanced Technical Diploma at Reading College and University Centre.
She said: “It’s an amazing experience! You get to work with new people and it builds more confidence in yourself. The first year I was very shy, whereas this year I’ve walked in knowing what I’m doing.
“You can learn new skills like how to use knives for food preparation, how they plate up compared to at college or wherever you work, and working with different foods.”
Frankie Ryan-Swift, 18, from Henley-on-Thames, is studying a Professional Culinary Arts Level 1 Certificate at Reading College and University Centre.
He said: “It’s a good experience. I think it will be good for me to learn a different style in different kitchens. I think it will open doors and help me to meet new people.”
Hayden Rushby, Hospitality Lecturer at Activate Learning, said: “It’s great to see them doing work experience at Royal Ascot.
“Throughout the week they’ll notice how great everything is. They’ll all enjoy it, and it’ll give them more confidence.
“It’s a different experience than we can offer at college. With events catering like this, you’re doing numerous amounts of covers in a kitchen which is only temporary.
“They’re learning how to prep for mass covers to make life easier and then when it comes to the cooking process for the services throughout the week, they’re going to be in a conveyor belt of how things are done, and I think that it’s a great way for them to see it.”
Lorenzo Francioli, Lead Area Chef for the Furlong Restaurant, Gallery and Lawn Club at Royal Ascot, said: “Over the last few years the students have been really great. They’ve been a great addition to the team.
“I’m hoping that they’ve gone away and learned some knowledge and felt the intensity of a hardworking, fast kitchen environment which should stand them in good stead going forward.
“The skill levels are high. When we ask them to do a job and it’s usually done quite well and efficiently. One of the chefs will give them an example of the specifications. The students have got a great attitude and they want to learn.”
Discover our Hospitality and Professional Cookery programmes available at Reading College and University Centre or contact us on 0800 612 6008.
